To Mend A Heart
by Captain Spider
Summary: Kim leaves Ron heart broken when she dumps him for someone else and Tara see's it as her chance to finally be with him. Will Ron fall for her or will lingering feeling for Kim get in the way?
1. Shattered

**Chapter 1: Shattered**

It was a lovely fall after noon. The cool wind blew through the air. The ground was cowered in different colored leaves that had fallen from the trees. September was slowly coming to an end, and October was just around the corner. Ron Stoppable walked through the streets on his way to his favorite place in the world: Buena Nacho. As he walked he had a sense of confidence in his step. He was now a senior in high school, had a job at his favorite store, was the star running back of the Middleton mad dogs, and even had a new baby sister. Best of all, his long time best friend Kim Possible was now his girlfriend; yep Ron's life was perfect.

In fact said girlfriend was the reason for him being at Bueno Nacho today, not that he actually needed a reason. But when Kim called and asked him to meet her here saying she had something important she wanted to talk to about, he headed straight over.

Ron smiled as he walked into Bueno Nacho. The familiar sent of beans, salsa, and cheese assaulting his senses. He spotted Kim with her fiery red hair sitting at their usual both. He walked over, and sat down next to her, not noticing how her head was hung low, or the stressed look on her face. "Hey Kim."

Kim's head shot up she had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Ron till he spoke. She looked to see her boyfriend sitting across from her his usual goofy grin on his face. She quickly forced herself to smile hoping that Ron wouldn't see through her. "Hi Ron."

Oblivious to Kim's charade Ron simply smiled at her. "So what's up KP?"

Kim took a deep breath, as she prepared herself for what she was about to do. _'Ok here goes.' _her face and voice took on a serious tone as she spoke. "Ron we need to talk."

Ron of course didn't quite grasp the severity of the situation. "What about KP?"

"It's about us." she said, hoping that Ron would get the hint.

Ron's smile faded as Kim uttered those words. He may not have been the sharpest knife in the dower, but even he knew that when your girlfriend said something like that, it wasn't a good sign. "I…Is something wrong KP?" he asked, now slightly nervous.

Kin bit her lip. Inwardly debating whether or not to continue, but quickly shook her head of the thought. _'No this has to be done now. The longer I wait the worse it'll get.'_

"It's just…it's not working Ron." she said, her voice rising a bit at the end and shaking her head. As if trying to deny what she had just said.

Ron gulped. "What's not working?" he asked. Truth be told Ron had a pretty good idea of what Kim was talking about, but he needed to be absolutely sure she was talking about what he thought she was. This was definitely not the type of thing to jump the gun on.

"Us Ron, this relationship, being boyfriend and girlfriend, it's just not working!" she said, throwing her arms up to further emphasize her point.

Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mind refused to believe it. "Kim y…you don't mean that… that." the thought was so horrible he couldn't even finish his sentence.

Kim's head hung low as she nodded. "Yes Ron I'm breaking up with you."

An awkward silence hung in the air as the full impact of Kim's words hit Ron. It felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest, and smashed into a million pieces. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, and in a voice that was almost too low to hear asked. "Why?"

Kim took a shaky breath knowing Ron would ask that and wished he hadn't. It was heard enough for her to do this to him, and explaining why would only be harder. Still he was still her best friend. If nothing else, he deserved to know why she was hurting him.

"Ron when we made the jump from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend it all happened so fast. I mean I was still on the rebound from the whole Eric thing, and then all of a sudden you say you have feelings for me, and I don't know, I guess I just wanted to feel the same way. But after a while I realized that my feeling for you hadn't changed. I still think of you as a best friend instead of a boyfriend, and I think it would be better if we just went back to being friends."

Ron was in shock_. 'How dare she! How dare she come in here break his heart then expect everything to be ok! Too simply ignore everything that had happened between them these last few months and go back to being 'just friends'!'_ He wanted nothing more than to explode at her, to yell, and scream, and shake her till she came to her senses, and realized how big a mistake she was making. But he didn't, and asked a question instead. "Kim I… are you sure about this?" he asked silently begging her to take back what she had just said.

Kim nodded. "Yes Ron I am. I think it'll be better this way."

Ron stared deep into Kim's jade green eyes. He could see sorry, guilt, and a little bit of pity, but couldn't find anything that told him she wasn't absolutely sure about what she said. He slumped down in his seat, his hands still on the table, knowing there was nothing he could do. Once Kim's mind was made up about something, no one could change it, not even him.

Kim saw Ron's depressed and hopeless look, and decided to speak. She slid her hand across the table, and took one of Ron's hands in hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze, prompting him to turn his attention to her.

"Listen Ron just because I'm breaking up with you doesn't mean I don't care about you. You've been my best friend sense pre-K, and nothing will ever change that. So what do you say, still friends?"

Ron stared at his best friend not sure what to say. What could he say? She had just ripped his heart out and handed it to him, but she was also his best friend, and one of the most important people in his life. Swallowing his anger Ron put on his usual goofy smile. "Always." he said, returning Kim's squeeze.

A large smile spread across Kim's face. She felt incredibly revealed, as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Great, now how about some food. Whatever you want it's on me."

Ron shook his head. "No thanks KP I don't have much of an appetite. I think I'll just head home." he said, then slipped out of the booth and headed for the door.

Kim watched as Ron headed for the door, his head hung low and shoulders slumped. It hurt her to see him so sad, and she hated herself for doing this to him. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She pulled out her phone instantly recognizing the number.

"_Hey Kim_" came a voice from her phone, that it was obviously male.

Kim tried to sound happy, but in her current mood it wasn't easy. "Hey."

"_You ok you sound kinda down?"_

"I'm fine. I just got through talking to Ron."

"_You break up with him?"_

Kim nodded. "Ya just now."

"_How'd he take it?_"

"Ok I guess."

"_You don't sound so sure._"

Kim frowned. "Well I did just brake up with the guy." she said, raising her voice a bit.

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad._"

Kim shook her head. She hadn't meant to sound so harsh. "No it's ok, I'm just a little upset is all."

"_It's cool; did you tell him about us_?"

Kim shook her head again. "No I'll tell him later, let this blow over first ya know."

"_I understand. You what to meet somewhere? Might help take your mind off things?_"

Kim nodded. "Ya, I think I'd like that."

**That's it for the first chapter. How will Ron deal with Kim's decision and just who was Kim talking too. You'll just have to wait and see. In the mean time please Read and Review. I am always open to questions, comments, criticism, and even the occasional flame as long as you tell me what you didn't like and how I can make it better.**


	2. A Broken Soul

**Wow I didn't think I would get so many reviews for this story so fast. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. **

**Trinovantes. The Mad shoe 1. LoPe21. Drakonis Aurous: Sorry about Kim seeming OC, glad Ron seemed IC, and yes there will be drama. Sacred White Phoenix: I am not saying who was on the phone as it would spoil the story. Kim will eventually get a taste of her own medicine but not for a while. Shrike176: Tara will appear in this chapter. Sentinel103: You have some very interesting ideas. Tara being in on the brake up probably won't happen and while Ron won't be going to Japan that doesn't mean the friends he has there won't go to him. CaujunBear73: Indeed it does. Ron's emotions will come to the surface soon but until then he'll be wound up kinda tight.**

**Chapter 2: A Broken Soul**

It was dark. Ron had been walking around town for hours, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Why had she done this to him? How could she just dump him like this? Just rip out his hart like he had no feelings what so ever. He thought she'd been secure in his love. He'd certainly felt secure in hers, until today. Now his world was shattered, and his dreams had broken into a million pieces.

Kicking a lone pebble that had somehow made its way onto the sidewalk, he thought about their first kiss. It had been so tentative on both of their parts, so innocent and yet so perfect. That kiss had been the start of what he'd believed to be their road to happily ever after. He knew it was unusual to find true love in high school, but he thought he and Kim could do it, they'd been through so much already. Battling mad scientists, evil dictators, mutated freaks, killer robots, and muscle bound henchmen. All while dealing with the stress of high school life.

So why couldn't they? Why couldn't he? What had he done that was so wrong? How had he screwed up the one thing that meant more to him than anything in the world? He had no clue? Suddenly his stomach started growling letting him know it needed food. _'Guess I shouldn't have turned down Bueno Nacho.'_ He thought, and looked around for a place to eat. He realized he was close to the mall, and figured it would be a good place to satisfy his stomach and take his mind off what happened today.

When he reached the food court he looked around trying to decide what to eat. As his gaze swept through the area a glint off red hair caught his eye. '_No way. It can't be'_ Ron looked over at where he spotted the speck of red and saw that it was none other than Kim and she wasn't alone. Sitting with her was Josh Mankey and they where KISSING.

Ron watched in horror as his now ex-girlfriend, made-out with her ex-boyfriend, both completely deaf to the world around them. He'd felt pain before, he'd been shot, stabbed, beat up, and had his bones broken, but this was far worse. It felt like someone had stabbed him in his heart with a rusty knife, than continuously twisted the blade. The sight made him feel like he was going to puke, and tears began to form in his eyes. Finally when he could take no more he rushed out of the food court as fast as he could. Tears streaming down his face as the shattered pieces of his heart were ground into dust.

He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. All he wanted was to escape the pain in his heart. The tears in his eyes blurred his vision, making it hard to see where he was going, and he ended up slamming head first into something, and wound up flat on his butt. That something was none other than Tara King.

Tara's head was spinning from the force of the impact, and when she finally regained her senses she was surprised to find Ron sitting in front of her. His face and the top part of his shirt where covered with tears, his eye's where red and puffy, and his hair was messier than usual. He looked like a complete wreck. "Ron are you ok?"

Ron looked up, and was surprised to find Tara looking back at him. He whipped his face on his shirt sleeve trying to regain his composure, flashing one of his usual grins. "Sure I am. The Ronman's always ok." But it didn't last, and his smile crumbled as fresh tears he began to well up in his eyes, and he wept into his hands.

Tara wasn't sure what to do. She had plenty of experience consoling her friends when they had a crisis, but they were all girls. She had no clue how to comfort a crying boy. So she did what she thought was right, and patted Ron on the back. "It's ok everything will be alright."

Once Ron calmed down Tara looked around, and realized they were sitting on the floor in the middle of a crowded area. "Maybe we should go sit down somewhere?" she said.

Ron nodded and a few seconds later was sitting on a bench as Tara walked over to him, carrying two cups of hot chocolate.

Ron took the cup, but didn't drink it, or even look at her. "Thanks." he muttered.

Tara smiled "No problem." she said, then sat down next to him. She looked over at Ron as he sat in silence; shoulders slumped staring into his cup as though it held all the answers. He wasn't the same fun-loving Ron that she knew. He look he looked like the life had been sucked out of him. Finally she decided to break the silence, and say what was on her mind. "Ron what happened?"

Ron sighed. He took a deep breath before answering. "She dumped me."

Tara was shocked. She knew Ron was talking about Kim. She had seen the two of them at school. They always seemed so happy sitting together, laughing, hugging, and kissing. It made her a little jealous since she wished that he had that kind of relationship with a guy. She couldn't understand why Kim would suddenly throw that away. "How…I mean why?"

Ron's expression turned from one of hurt and sadness, to pure anger and hatred. "Mankey." he said, spitting the word out like it was poison on his tongue, anger flickering in his eyes as he said the name.

Tara was a bit shocked. She had never heard Ron speak about anyone with such hatred his voice. She listened as he told her about what he had happened earlier, and what he had just seen. She was shocked. She never thought Kim would be so shallow as to dump her boyfriend to date her ex. Bonnie maybe, but not Kim. She felt a sudden desire to find Kim and slap her. She probably would have, if it wasn't for the fact that Ron obviously needed her right now.

Tara was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Ron choking bake a sob. "I just don't understand. Why would she do this to me?" he screamed, as new tears ran down his face.

Tara shook her head. She hated seeing people in pain, especially someone like Ron who was always so happy, and carefree. She wished she had something that would help ease the pain in his heart. "I don't know? Do you think she cheated on you?"

Ron froze, he hadn't thought of that. Was Tara right? Could Kim actually have been cheating on him with Josh the whole time they'd been going out? The thought made him sick to his stomach, but it made sense. From the way Kim and Josh had been kissing, it didn't look like tonight had been a first date. "I…I don't know." he said, as he began to cry again.

When Ron finished crying, he whipped his tears and sighed. "I guess I should have seen this coming. I mean what chance could a loser like me have with someone like Kim. She's pretty, and smart, and popular. I'm just the guy who screws everything up?"

Tara shook her head. "Ron you're not a loser. You're a great guy, and you help save the world all the time."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Ya right. All I ever do is run around like an idiot and lose my pants. Face it Tara Bonnie was right. I am a loser."

Tara frowned, and turned her head to look directly at Ron. "No you're not. You're kind, and brave, and funny, and sweet, and honest."

Ron blinked, not even Kim had ever said such nice things about him. As least not so many in one sentence. "Y…you really mean that Tara?"

Tara smiled. "Of course I do."

For a split second a small almost unnoticeable smile appeared on Ron's face, before it returned to one of depression. He sighed and put down his still full cup. "I guess I better get going." he said. He tried to stand, but the fact he hadn't eaten, and had been crying, made him feel weak and light headed.

Tara watched as Ron swayed a little before falling forward, and quickly rushed forward to grab him so he didn't hit the floor. Normally she was used to holding large amounts of weight when she held people up during cheer practice, but Ron had caught her off guard, and she was forced to hug him close to her so they didn't fall to the floor.

Ron rubbed his head, trying to regain his balance. He blushed when he realized how close Tara was holding him, before quickly pulling away. "Thanks." he said rubbing the back of his neck.

Tara turned her head, trying to hide the blush on her own checks. "No problem. Maybe I should drive you home so you don't faint again?"

Ron nodded, and the two walked out of mall to a white mini-van sitting in the parking lot.

The ride was completely silent. Tara tried to make conversation with Ron, but he simply stared out the window the whole time, lost in his own thought.

Ron was finally pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the car's tires coming to a stop as they pulled up in front of his house. "Thanks for the ride." he mumbled.

Tara shrugged. "It was nothing. Are you going to be ok?"

Ron sighed. "I don't know. I just need some time alone ya know." he said.

Tara watched as Ron got out of the car, and walked up to his house. _'Poor Ron. I hope he'll be ok. He disserves better then Kim, a lot better.'_ She waited till he was inside, and shut the door before leaving.

Ron made his way to his room and collapsed on his bad the moment he entered. He was startled by a sudden chattering noise, and looked down into the concerned eyes of a Naked Mole Rat. In Rufus's dark eyes Ron saw the reflection of his own eyes, which were flowing with tears. Wracked with sudden choking sobs, Ron curled up and started to drown himself in self-pity.

Rufus became extremely worried at this point, and scampered up the bed to Ron's shoulder. "Mm-hmm what's wrong?"

Ron just shook his head indicating he didn't feel like talking about it.

Rufus looked at Ron. He had never seen his owner act like this before. Ron had been so happy when he had left this morning, now he looked like he'd never be happy again. Rufus sighed, hopped off Ron's shoulder, and went over to his small bed on the desk. Whatever happened today had been big, and Rufus would just have to wait to find out.

Meanwhile Kim was just getting home from her date with Josh, and she felt like she was on cloud nine. They had a light dinner at the food court, which ended up turning into a light make-out session. She had to admit things may have become a tad more passionate then see intended it to be, but she still had a wonderful time.

She made her way to her room, and feel down on her bed with a wide smile on her face. She looked over at her side table where a picture of her and Ron when they were younger sat. She picked it up and sighed, then put it back down. _'Maybe I should give him a call, and see if he's ok.'_

She pulled out her phone and dilled Ron's number, but it went to voice mail. "Hey this is the Ronman. I'm not available right now, but if you leave a boomdigity massage I'll get back to ya."

"Hey Ron its Kim. Listen I just wanted see if you were ok, and to say that I'm sorry things didn't work out between us with the whole dating thing. Like I said you're still my best friend, and I was hoping we could hang out, maybe grab a bite a Bueno Nacho. Well that's it. I guess I'll see ya tomorrow or at school on Monday."

Kim frowned as she hung up the phone. Ron almost never didn't answer her calls, either he was asleep, or he didn't want to talk to her. Not that she could blame him, she knew she had really hurt him, and felt really bad about what she had done. It wasn't that she didn't love Ron. He was still her best friend and always would be, but he just wasn't what she wanted in a boyfriend. He didn't act the way that a boyfriend was suppose to act.

Yes he took her on dates, but they were often to kiddy places like T.J Barrymore's, or Bueno Nacho, and their dates had become so route. Bueno Naco, movie, and three hours of Ron trying to win a stuffed frog from the claw machine at the Middleton mall. Not to mention the way he acted when he did take her someplace nice, ordering from the kids menu, shoveling down food, making load or odd comments. It was fine when they were friends, but as a couple it was just plain embracing. Then Josh had come along, and completely swept her off her feet. He had been everything she had expected in a boyfriend, and it made her realize that as friends she and Ron were great, but as a couple they were just too different.

'_I just hope Ron can understand that. Oh what am I worried about? Sure things might be rough for a bit, and Ron will probably be depresses for a couple of days. But he'll bounce back just like he does, and everything will be just like it used to be. It's not like this is going to ruin our friendship.'_

**Poor Ron having his heart broken twice in one day. What will he do now that he knows Kim's secret? How will it affect their friendship and their work on missions? And how will Kim explain herself? **

**A lot of people commented about how shallow I made Kim seem so I tried to explain exactly why she broke Ron's heart. So if you have any comments about this chapter, tell me and I'll do what I can about it. Until next time please Read and Review. **


	3. A New Blonde Friend

**Finally chapter 3 of my story is completed. Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I've been having major writers block lately. All together I think I wrote, than re-wrote this chapter, at least three or four times, and I'm still not sure if it turned out right.**

**I got a lot of reviews for the last chapter, even more then the first. I would like to say thanks, to all the people who reviewed the last chapter. Your words of encouragement are what help keep me motivated.**

**Sloth11, Eckles, Keth1, ****Trinovantes****, Youko-Taichou, Slyrr, ****CajunBear73, ****LoPe21, Mr. Average, White-Phoenix, Cravensvt**, **Hope Master, Me, mam, and VyseN** **. I did get one complaint from mam, about Tara's last name being Strong, so I changed it to King, since she doesn't technically have a last name, and that seems to be the one most people give her. **

**Chapter 3: A New Blonde Friend**

Ron sighed as the morning rays shined through his window. His hair and clothes where a mess, and his pillow and shirt where soaked with the salty tears he had shed last night. Last night had been the worst night of his life. It wasn't until his body was completely worn out, and his eyes had no more tears to shed, that his mind cleared enough for him to think. Yes, contrary to popular belief, Ron could think. In fact, it was all he could do last night. He simply couldn't get the sight of Kim kissing Mankey out of his mind. Over and over the scene replayed before him, taunting him. He keep raking his brain, trying to come up with some explanation as to why Kim had been kissing Mankey. He came up with dozens of different ideas, ranging from C.P.R to mind control, and each one was more far-fetched then the last. In the end the only thing that made any sense was what Tara had suggested. That Kim had been cheating on him.

He didn't want to believe it. The thought that Kim would cheat on him made him sick to his stomach. After all Kim was his girl fri…, scratch that, his best friend. She was the most important person in his life. He trusted her completely. To know that she could do something so cold, and so heartless. That she could think so little of his feeling, or of their friendship. _'I wish there was some way I could get away from the pain, just go somewhere for a while, so I wouldn't have to deal with this.'_

For a minute the thought of hopping on a plane and leaving the country crossed his mind. Sensei had said that he was always welcomed at Yamanouchi, and Japan was nice this time of year. But he had too many responsibilities here. Ron smirked at the irony. '_Who'd have thought, me, Ron Stoppable, the ultimate slacker, with responsibilities?'_ he thought, with a chuckle. Still it was true, he did have a lot of responsibilities now, school, football, his job, missions, not to mention his baby sister. He couldn't just pack up and run off like a dog with his tail between his legs.

Though to be honest, he really had no desire to go on missions right now, and even though he did like his job, and being on the football team, the only reason he did either of them was because of Kim. No the main reason he couldn't go was school. Three years of slacking off had finally caught up with him. Barkin had stopped him in the halls on the first day of school and pounded it into his head that, if he didn't buckle down this year, he might not graduate. Ron was torn up over what happened yesterday, but he wasn't about to let himself be held back because of a little heart ache. Ok, a lot of heart ache.

When Rufus awoke he found Ron sitting in his bed, staring down at the floor. It was obvious he was still depressed about whatever had happened yesterday. Rufus clambered up Ron's body to his shoulder and patted his back. "It ok." he squeaked.

Ron smiled half heartedly, and turned to his second oldest friend. "Thanks buddy I needed that."

Rufus smiled, happy to see a smile on his master's face. "What wrong." He asked.

Ron sighed. "Kim broke up with me. What's worse I think she might have been cheating on me."

Rufus' small jaw dropped. Out of all the things he thought could have been bothering Ron, that wasn't one of them. He never would he have thought Kim would break up with Ron, let alone cheat on him. He knew there had to be more to the story.

Ron sighed, and filled his small friend in on everything that happened yesterday, from meeting Kim at Bueno Nacho, to Tara driving him home. When Ron got to the part about Kim kissing Mankey, his voice had cracked, and he almost broke out in tears. Rufus consoled the boy by patting him on the back until he calmed down.

Ron sighed as he finished his story. "I'm so confused buddy, what should I do?"

Rufus shook his head. "Don't know."

"A lot of help you are."

Rufus' face saddened. "Sorry." He wished he could help Ron with his problems, but what did he know about human girls.

Ron sighed, ashamed that he had snapped at best, and right now, only friend. "It's ok Rufus. I'm just a little on edge. What's say we grab something to eat?"

Rufus smiled. If there was one thing he knew that could help lit Ron's spirits, it was food. He jumped off of Ron's shoulders onto the floor, and made a bee line for the kitchen.

Still in his pajamas Ron stood up. He was about to head to the kitchen, when he noticed a flashing light coming from the communicator sitting on his desk, indicating he had a message. Ron went over to his desk, and saw that it was actually two messages. He pressed the button on the device as it began playing.

"Hey Ron its Kim. Listen I just wanted see if you were ok, and to say that I'm sorry things didn't work out between us with the whole dating thing. Like I said you're still my best friend though, and I was hoping we could hang out maybe grab a bite a Bueno Nacho. Well that's it. I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, or at school on Monday."

Ron frowned. After last night he didn't really feel like seeing Kim right now. _'Aw man what do I do? Do I call her back and make up some excuse or do I ignore her? I can't just avoid her forever, she's my best friend. But what should I do? Should I tell her, let her know what I saw? Or should I just ignore it, and hope she doesn't end up hurting me again?'_

Ron had no idea what to do. He decided that for now he'd ignore Kim, and pretend he never got the message. As for tomorrow? Well, he'd face that bridge when he came to it. He pressed the button the communicator again, and it began to play the second message.

"Hi Ron its Tara. I um…I just wanted to see how you were doing. After last night I mean. Ya know the whole Kim thing. I'm sure you have plains or something, since it's the weekend. But if you want to get together and talk, or maybe just hang out, let me know. Um, I guess that's it bye."

Ron was generally surprised to find that Tara had called him. It was rare that someone cared enough to call, and see if he was ok, even if he did have a break down in front of them. It was even rarer that it was someone other than Kim, let alone someone he barely knew.

'_I should call her back.'_ Ron went over to his desk and began rummaging through the drawers. _'Come on, come on, where is it?' "_Found it." Shouted Ron in triumph_, _as he pulled out a small black address book. He flipped through the pages till he came to the T's and spotted Tara's name. He looked at the number under it, and started dialing. _'Glad Mister Barkinmade everyone on the cheer team give each other phone their numbers in case of an emergency.'_

The phone rang a few times, before being answered by someone with a female voice. _"Hello?"_

Ron blinked. The voice on the other end was definitely not Tara. "Um, hi I must have the wrong number. I'm looking for Tara."

"_Hold on. Tara phone for you."_

Ron heard shuffling in the background, before hearing a familiar female voice. _"Hello?"_

"Hi Tara, its Ron."

Tara was surprised, but generally happy to hear from Ron. _"Hi Ron._

"Hi. Hey, who was that on the phone earlier?" asked Ron.

"_Oh, that was my sister."_

"You have a sister?" asked Ron.

"_Actually I have two." _

Ron was surprised by that. He wasn't aware that Tara had a sibling, let alone two. He wondered what they looked like, and how they acted. Where they smart and rambunctious like Kim's bothers, or were they mean, like he had heard Bonnie's sisters were.

"So, _What's up? Why did you call?"_

Ron shook his head, shifting his attention back to the conversation. "Well um, I got your message and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out, maybe meet somewhere or something."

"_Sure." _said Tara, her voice filled with excitement._ "I was going to go down to the boardwalk, how about we meet there."_

"Sure, see ya there. " Said Ron, as he hung up the phone, and headed to his room to chance.

As he got dressed, Ron replayed the conversation he had with Tara in his head. He still wasn't sure why he had agreed to meet up with her; he wasn't even sure why he had called her in the first place. He barley even knew the girl, and yet he was going out of his way to meet her, why? Maybe it was because she was one of the few people who had ever been nice to him. She was the only girl on the cheer squad who never made fun of him, other than Kim of course. Or maybe it was simply because she was the only one who actually knew about what had happened between him and Kim. All he knew was that right now he needed someone to talk to, preferably someone other than a naked mole rat. Deciding not to think about it, he finished getting ready and headed out the door.

A half hour later, Ron was walking down the sidewalk of the Middleton boardwalk. It was one of the oldest areas in Middleton, with a history that spanned over one hundred years. It had rows of various shops and eateries, lining the cement sidewalk. Most of them were new places own by big name brand corporations. But some of them were small family owned businesses, and had been around for decades. The only reason he didn't come here more often, was because it was so far. It was located near the lake, and even by car it was at least a half an hour drive.

As Ron walked down the hot cement walkway, he could smell the cool mountain air coming from the lake's water. The bright noon sun beat down on him, as a slight breeze ran through his hair. He finally spotted Tara sitting at a small table, outside one of the many shops. She was wearing a dark blue top, along with a pair of light blue jean shorts, and a pair of black flats_. _Her hair flowed down her back, in its usual wavy style.

Tara looked up, and saw Ron headed toward her. He was dresses in a dark blue sleeveless shirt, a pair of black shorts, and his usual tennis shoes. She smiled, as he took a set across from her. "Hey Ron."

Ron smiled back. "Hola Tara."

"So, how are you doing?" she asked.

Ron smiled his usual fake smile. The one he always used to hide his pain. "Great, you know me. The Ron man knows how to adapt."

Tara frowned. She may not have known Ron since preschool like Kim, but even she could tell he was lying. His normal chocolate brown eyes; which were always filled with happiness, and joy; were now filled with loss, and pain, and sadness. "Ron, I'm your friend. You know you can talk to me honestly, right?"

Ron was caught off guard by that. He knew Tara didn't consider him a loser, like most of the people in school, but he never she considered him a friend. Did he even want to be her friend? Despite his open and friendly attitude, he was always cautious when it came to new friends. He was afraid that if he let anyone in, he'd just end up getting hurt, especially after what happened with Kim. Still Tara seemed nice, and he really did need someone to talk to.

Ron sighed. "Ok, honestly, I'm a mess. I have no clue what I should do? I just feel so stupid. I mean Kim's my best friend, and was my girlfriend. I should have know something was wrong. I mean lately she'd been acting nervous around me, like she was hiding something. She was quieter than usual, like her mind was on something else. She'd act bored during dates, and space out when I talked to her. On more than one occasion I called her to take her on a date, only for her to say she was busy. She even ditched me on a Friday night, our night. I should have known something was wrong after that, but I was too stupid to figure it out."

Tara shook her head. "Ron you're not stupid. You trusted Kim, just like any guy would trust his girlfriend. Ignoring signs like that doesn't make you stupid. It just proves how much you cared about her, and wanted things to work out."

Ron nodded, only half convinced by Tara's words. "I guess so. But I still feel like it's my fault. I should have done something. Maybe I could have, I don't know, stopped this from happening, or at least found out about it sooner."

"Ron. It's not your fault. Kim made her decision. There's no way you could have known what was going on, and even if you did it might not have changed anything."

Ron sighed. "I guess you're right. But I still don't know what I should do."

"Have you talked to Kim yet?" she asked.

Ron shook his head. "No; not yet. She called, but I didn't call her back."

"Why not?" asked Tara.

Ron sighed. "I don't know. I guess I'm not sure what to say. I mean I know Kim betrayed me, and that I should be mad at her, but she's still my best friend. At least I think she is. I want her to be my friend, but I don't know if I can trust her. I just, don't know what I should do."

"I think you should confront her. Tell her what you saw, and how it made you feel. No one deserves to see their girlfriend cheating on them with another guy." _'Especially not someone as sweet as you.'_ she thought.

Ron nodded. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew Tara was right. Not just because he should confront Kim, but because he couldn't avoid it. Kim was good at reading people. She would instantly realize the shift in his mood, and ask him about it. Even if she didn't, sooner or later the pressure of knowing what Kim had done would get to him. He would end up exploding in someone's face, and as Kim said, making it so the drama.

"So are you going to talk to her?" asked Tara.

Ron shook his head. "No; not yet. I need some time to think. Figure out what I'm gonna say, ya know."

Tara smiled. "You better not let Barkin hear you say that."

Ron smirked. "Ya, he might start expecting me to think during class, or even worse actually learn something."

Tara giggled, and despite how bad he felt, Ron couldn't help but laugh as well.

"So what are you going to do now?" asked Tara.

Ron shrugged. "Don't know. I didn't really have any plains. Guess I'll just walk around for a while."

Tara frowned. Ron was already in a depressing mood. Spending his time wondering around, thinking about how bad thinks where, would only make things worse. She wanted to do something that would make him happy again, and help get his mind off his problem. "Come on." She said, grabbing Ron's hand.

"Where are we going?" asked Ron, as the girl began to drag him.

Tara didn't respond and smiled instead. "You'll see."

A few minutes later Ron and Tara were sitting on a bench, lasing up roller blades they rented from a nearby shop.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Ron.

Tara smiled. "Trust me." She said, as she stood up. "Let's go." She said, and took off down the side walk.

Ron shrugged, and took off after her. It only took him a few seconds to catch up to her, and the two began skating up and down the boardwalk. Ron was a lot faster than Tara. He barely broke a sweat keeping up with her, even when she was going at full speed. However Tara was far better at maneuvering then Ron, she could easily make sharp turns, and come to a speeding stop.

Right now Tara was skating; with Ron a few inches in front of her, skating backwards. He was smiling brightly, obviously enjoying himself, and Tara couldn't help but smile as well.

Since he was skating backwards, Ron didn't see the trash can lying in the middle of the sidewalk. Tara on the other hand did see the can, and her eyes went wide in fear.

"Ron, look out!" She yelled, trying to warn him.

Ron looked behind him, but it was too late, as he tripped backwards over can, landing hard on his back.

Tara instantly raced forward, and stopped in front of Ron. "Are you ok?" She asked, worry evident in her voice.

Ron nodded, rubbing his head. He was thankful that he had been wearing a helmet. "Ya, I'm fine." He said, as Tara helped him onto his feet.

Later, Ron and Tara had returned their skates, and were sitting on a bench, drinking bottled water. By now it was late in the afternoon. The sun was beginning to set, as it painted the sky like a canvas, with hues of different colors.

Tara cast her eyes to the blonde next to her, who was busy quenching his thirst. His body was coated in sweat from today's activities, causing his shirt to cling to his chest, and showing off the muscles underneath. She watched him tilt his head back as he continued to drink. The fading afternoon light tinting him in light shadows, and outlining his body. The breeze blew across his face, dancing through his already messy hair. Her face turned a bright red, and she turned her head, desperately trying hide the blush on her cheeks, hoping that Ron hadn't notice her staring.

"Ya, know. I still don't get how spending the day skating, helps me with Kim." pondered Ron out load.

"Well, do you feel better?" asked Tara.

Ron stopped, and thought about the question. His heart did feel lighter. The dark and depressing feeling that had been present earlier, seemed to have faded along with the afternoon light. "Ya know what, I do."

Tara smiled. "Then that's all that matters."

Ron couldn't help but smile. The answer was so simple, so innocent. It was the kind of answer he would have given, had he been asked the same question. "Hey Tara."

"Yes?"

"Thanks for hanging out with me today. I really needed it." He said.

Tara smiled. "Any time Ron."

**Finally Ron's life takes a turn for the better. But with him still having to confront Kim about Mankey, how long will it last? **

**I'll do my best to get the next chapter up faster than I did this one. So until then Please Read and Review.**


	4. Breaking Point

**Finally, here's the next chapter. Really sorry it took me so long to update. Mid-terms came up, and I had to put all writing on hold while I studied.**

**I got 15 REVIEWS for the last chapter! A new record. So far this is my most popular fic ever. **

**So thank you, Comet moon, VyseN, Mr. Average, hope master, MR. SE7EN, Rjbknight, daccu65, RamaFan, The Mad Shoe1, Sacred White Phoenix, Inazuma Tate, Doood, me, angelbattler, and Deyinel. **

**I really want to thank RammaFan for all the helpful advice. Also Sentinel103 sent me a comment about a mistake I made in the last chapter, so I fixed it.**

**Chapter 4: Breaking Point**

The next day, Ron was in his room, pacing back and forth, his communicator clutched in his hand. For over an hour Ron had been pacing, trying to work up the courage to call Kim, and figure out what to say to her.

'_Ok here goes,'_ He thought. He was about to dial Kim's number when suddenly the device went off. Ron was startled by the sudden noise, and almost dropped it. He turned on the device as Kim's face appeared on the screen. "Hey KP, I was just about to call you. I…"

Ron didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as Kim cut him off. "Later Ron we've got trouble. Drakken and Shego just stole a huge diamond from the Middleton museum."

Ron was caught off guard by the sudden news. "A diamond, what would they want with that?"

Kim shook her head. "Don't know, but Wade managed to track them to an observatory in England."

Ron was surprised by that. "England?" Normally Drakken's hideouts were in remote, almost impossible to reach locations, as in, on top of a mountain, or in the middle of an ocean. Why in the world would they go to England?

"Ya, Wade already fixed us up with a ride, so I'll be at house in a few ok," said Kim.

Ron nodded, and the line went dead. It was then that Ron remembered the reason for wanting to call Kim. He slapped his forehead, realizing what he'd done. He had just agreed to go on a mission with Kim, despite the fact that he knew she was keeping a secret from him. _'Guess I'll just have to do it on the way.' _He looked over at his small pink friend who had been watching him pace earlier. "Come on buddy its mission time."

Rufus nodded, and scampered into Ron's pocket.

A few minutes later Ron was outside, dressed in his mission gear, waiting to be picked up. The sound of whirling blades filed his ears, and he soon spotted a helicopter hovering above them.

Ron looked up to see Kim, waving at him from the open cabin door. She dropped a rope ladder, and Ron climbed up, into the cabin. Once he was inside Kim closed the cabin door, and the helicopter took off. "Hey Ron, hey Rufus," she said.

Ron put on a fake smile, while Rufus crossed his arms, and gave Kim the cold shoulder.

Kim blinked. "What's with him?"

Ron shrugged, and took a seat in one of the helicopter chairs.

Kim also shrugged, as Rufus continued to glare at her. The mole rat was still upset over how cold, and heartless Kim had been to Ron. Rufus may have been Kim's friend as well as Ron's, but Ron was more than just his best friend, he was his family. For Rufus Ron was his brother, his father, and as weird as it was, his mother. His loyalties would always be to Ron first, and to others second.

Ron simply stared out the window, as Kim took a seat next to him. She was extremely nervous as she did so. Not about the mission, she could easily handle a stolen diamond. What really had her worried was Ron. The two of them hadn't talked to each other since their brake up two days ago, and she had no idea what to say him. She hoped that it didn't affect their teamwork. It would stink if after all the life threatening adventures they had been on they were killed simply because they weren't paying attention to what they were doing.

As the helicopter flew, Ron decided now was as good a time as any to talk to Kim about what he had seen the other day. "Hey Kim listen. There's something I need to talk to you about."

Kim's sighed. She knew she would have to have this conversation with Ron sooner or later. Despite Ron's claim that he was ok she knew she had really hurt him the other day when she broke up with him. Normally Ron expressed his feeling openly, but in cases where he was so hurt he couldn't handle it, he was so would bottle up his feeling till they exploded. When he got like this it was because there was too much pain for him to handle alone, but instead of asking for help, he would try and solve it this way. It never worked for long, those feelings she knew he was trying to hide from everyone always resurfaced sooner or later only to be buried somewhere far away instead.

She had to handle this just right or else she could risk making thing worse than they already were. She remembered when Ron's grandpa, a man Ron had been very close to, had died. After that he withdrew into himself, and completely shut himself off to the outside world. He didn't speck to anyone for days. It had been terrifying to see her best friend acting so distant, and she worried that he might never be the same again. "S…Sure Ron. What's up?" she said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"We're approaching the target Miss Possible."

In an instant the mood was broken and Kim shifted her attention to the pilot who had just spoken. "Um…ok."

Kim turned her attention back to Ron who had a sad expression on his face, obviously disappointed that their conversation would have to wait. She reached and across and put in on Ron's shoulder to get his attention. "We'll talk later, ok," she said smiling.

Ron smiled weakly, and nodded.

A few seconds later they were standing near the open cockpit door, with their parachutes strapped to their back. The high altitude winds blowing through the chopper.

Kim turned her attention to the pilot. "Thanks for the lift, Mr. Collins."

The pilot turned, and smiled. "Hey, it's was the least I could do, after the way you save that cruise ship from sinking."

Kim waved the complement away with her usual attitude. "It was no big. Anybody could have steered though that storm." She turned her attention to Ron, who was securing his parachute. "Ready Ron?"

Ron nodded, as he finished putting on his parachute. As always Kim took the lead, and jumped out of the plane with Ron following her.

The two landed on top of the observatory, and quickly removed their parachutes. Kim took out her laser lip stick, and used it to cut a hole in the roof. She put the lip stick back in her bag, and jumped into hole she had cut, with Ron fallowing right behind her.

The room the two dropped into was a janitor's closet. Kim held up a hand, motioning for Ron to stay where he was, while she checked outside. Ron understood the silent message, and waited as Kim walked up to the door and inspected it for alarms. Finding none, she squinted, and looked outside through the small space between the door, and the wall. Seeing nothing, Kim slowly turned the knob, and with absolute silence, opened the door and pecked her head outside. Finding that the cost was clear, she then motioned for Ron to fallow her.

For a while things seemed normal as the two silently made their way through the observatory, keeping their eyes and ears open for alarms, or guards. The fact that they were still able to function so well despite the recent change in their relationship status, gave Kim confidence that their friendship wasn't as damaged as it seemed.

The two continued through the complex, looking for the villainous duo. It didn't take long to locate their targets. As one would suspect the two were in the main observation area, and the signs posted throughout the complex where very helpful. The two ended up on a catwalk overlooking the observatory's large telescope. Below them were Drakken and Shego. Drakken was busy reworking the computer system that controlled the telescope. Shego was sitting in chair, tediously flipping through a magazine, obviously paying no attention to what her employer was doing. Kim and Ron crouched low, blending in with the shadows. It was obvious the villains had no idea they were being spied on.

"What are we waiting for?" whispered Ron.

"The right moment," said Kim.

Ron rolled his eyes. _'Man, talk about ego.'_ He wondered if Kim's new icy and overbearing attitude was because of the stress of their current relationship troubles, or simply an aspect of her normal personality that he had always failed to notice. He hopped in was the former.

Ron's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Drakken's voice, as the scientist went into one of his rants. Ron turned his attention back to the two below as Drakken picked up a large diamond.

"Behold Shego, my greatest creation." shouted the mad scientist, going off into one of his overly dramatic rants. "With this giant diamond I will be able to power my latest weapon, 'The Sub Zero Cannon'. By using the diamond as a focusing device, I can turn the observatory's telescope into a giant freezing ray. One so powerful it can freeze an entire city. Then by using satellites already in orbit, I can send my beam anywhere in the world. No one can stop me!"

From her hiding place Kim smirked. "And there it is," she said. She then jumped over the railing of the catwalk, landing less than a few feet from the two. "Game's up Drakken," She said, taking up a martial arts pose.

"Kim Possible!" shouted Drakken, in surprise.

After Kim landed, Ron jumped down as well, landing right next to Kim. Not only did he manage to land on his feet, but he did it without losing his paints. "And Ron Stoppable?" he said proudly.

Drakken cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Sorry, doesn't ring a bell. Shego!"

Shego sighed. She tossed her magazine to the side, and jumped to her feet next to Drakken. "Oh look Kimmie brought her boyfriend," She remarked, as she igniting her hands with plasma.

Kim narrowed her eyes at green villainous. For some reason the comment about Ron being her boyfriend annoyed her more than it should have, and she felt a need to correct the green villainous. "Newsflash Shego, Ron and I aren't together anymore."

Drakken and Shego were astonished by this bit of news, as Shego deactivated her powers. They both blinked, and looked at each other, than back at Kim.

"Seriously?" asked Shego.

"Seriously," said Kim, still glaring, and ready for battle.

Ron was also surprised by Kim's statement. He felt saddened by how angrily she spoke of their time together. It was as though their time together meant nothing to her. Maybe it didn't.

Drakken and Shego both looked over at Ron. The now depressed expression on the boy's face, was all the proof they needed to know that Kim was telling the truth. Instantly Drakken burst into laughter. "This is great. The buffoon dumped by his own best friend, oh that's rich," he said, in between laughing fits.

Ron glared at the scientist, as anger began to boil up inside him. Normally he didn't mind being laughed when it was his fault. Like when he screwed up on missions, or when he was being his regular goofy self, but to be laughed at for being dumped. What made it even worse was that the person laughing at him; was Drakken. A man who had probably been rejected far more times than he had. "Hey, at least I had a girlfriend mister robo date!"

Drakken's eyes widened, and Shego burst into laughter. "Oh man, he got ya their Doctor D," she said, holding her sides.

Drakken glared at the boy. He was quickly losing control or the situation as proof by the sound of Shego's laughter echoed in his ear. It was bad enough when his plains were foiled by Kim Possible. He was not about to be made for of by her worthless sidekick. "Well at least I was never dumped by my best friend! Face it buffoon, you truly are a loser!"

Ron clenched his fist in anger. He hated it when people called him stupid, or a loser, or in Drakken's case, a buffoon. He always tried to ignore the anger he felt when people insulted, and bury the pain he felt when they disregarded him. But deep down it still hurt, and this time he couldn't suppress his anger, as the emotional dame inside him burst.

Before anyone even knew what happened, Ron lunged forward, and delivered a hard left hook straight to the scientist's jaw. The powerful blow sent the man to the floor, and straight into unconsciousness.

Everyone was silent. No one knew quite what to say. Ron simply stood there, winded from having released all his anger at once.

Suddenly Ron's eyes went wide, and he began jumping up and down, shaking his hand in pain. "OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!" The adrenalin boost from Ron's anger had worn off, and his body had realized the damage that had been done to it.

As Ron continued his dance of pain, Shego looked over at Kim, unsure of what to say. "Well seeing as how Doctor D. is out like light; and your partner's in pain." Referring to Ron, who was still running around in pain. "What say we call this one a draw?" she said.

Kim nodded. "Wait a minute did you just call Ron my partner? What happened to sidekick?"

Shego didn't respond. Instead she walked over to Drakken, grabbed him by his coat collar, and dragged him away.

Kim stared at Shego's retreating figure before shaking her head. Although she hated the idea of allowing Shego and Drakken to escape, she knew she had no chose. Although she could go after Shego alone, it would mean going in alone and leaving Ron behind. True, Ron was not critically injured, but he was also in no condition to fight, and while she was sure she could beat Shego on her own, she did not like the idea of fighting the villainous without some sort of back-up.

Besides they had completed the mission. They had stopped Drakken and retrieved the diamond. Going after Shego would be an unnecessary risk. The most important thing now was getting home, and making sure Ron was ok. _'We'll get them next time,'_ she thought. With that she walked over to Ron who was still jumping up and down in pain, and did her best to calm him down, while she called for a ride home.

The flight back too Middleton was met with an awkward silence.

Kim sat in her seat, nervousness written all over her face. Something was deeply bothering Ron. She had thought it was because of the brake-up. Now she was sure it was something more. She glanced over at Ron who was sitting across from her. He hadn't said two words to her since leaving the observatory. His head was tuned as he stated out the window, a hard blank expression on his face. His hand was slightly swollen, and was staring to turn purple around the knuckle.

She tried to smile, although she still didn't quite feel like doing so. "So… umm you did really good today. You…umm, really taught Drakken a lesson," she said, attempting to lighten the mood.

Ron turned his attention to Kim, his blank expression tuned into a small frown. His eyes, were frighteningly void of emotion, as he meet hers. For a moment it looked like he wanted to say something to her, and it wasn't going to be very pleasant as his expression changed to one of hurt and anger. Then it faded back in to a look that was blank and unreadable.

"Whatever," he muttered, in a voice that sounded all wrong, in its lack of emotion, before turning his attention back to the window.

Kim felt hurt by Ron's rejection. In all the years she had been friends with Ron, she had never had this much trouble communicating with him before. They had always been able to talk openly with each other. Had the brake-up really changed things so much that they couldn't talk to one?

"Ron if something's wrong you know you can tell me. We're still friends remember, and friends don't keep secrets." She smiled at him hopefully, but Ron just threw back his head and laughed. It was an unnatural sound, sounding horribly out of place, with a sharp edge of anger and loathing in it that made Kim physically recoil. Even Rufus was slightly shaken by the sound, and hid himself in Ron's pocket.

As suddenly as it started, the laughter stopped, and Ron's frigid eyes rose again to fix on hers as he clutched his seat in a white knuckled grip. "Look who's talking."

Kim was surprised by the remark, and the haunted look in his eyes confused her. "Ron what are you talking about?" she whispered back, surprising herself with the desperation she heard in it. They had to talk about this. She had to know what was bothering him.

Ron glared at her. His eyes were livid with suppressed rage. "Oh I don't know Kim, maybe that you're the one keeping secrets from me. Ya know, like being out on a date with Monkey boy last night!"

Kim's eyes widened in shocked, and her face visibly paled. She felt her breath close off in her throat. "You…You saw me?"

Ron nodded. "How could you do that to me Kim? I mean braking up with me is one thing. But cheating on me, and with that…that…" Ron shook head, unable to come up with a worthy insult. "Even Bonnie wouldn't stoop that low." he muttered, trying to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. Just thinking about what he had seen that night made his heart ache.

Kim gasped in shook. She had known Ron would be upset about her and Josh, but even she hadn't expected this kind or reaction. The thought that Ron believed she cared so little for him, that she would cheat on him. It cut into her like a knife. She thought him brushing her off was the worst pain she could take, but this was far worse. "You think I cheated on you?"

"Well what am I suppose to think!" he yelled, no longer trying to fight back the tears now streaming down his flushed face. "First you break up with me, then like an hour later, you're neck deep in Mankey Spit!" Something came alive in Ron's eyes right then, a deep hurt and guilt that seemed to swallow Kim up as she stared at them.

Kim visibly flinched. She had never heard him yell with such force, and definitely not at her. Yet she couldn't say that she didn't deserve it. How must it have looked to him for her to have her brushed him off, and hook up with someone she had said she was over. "Ron listen, it wasn't what it looked like," she pleaded.

"Oh? So you didn't break up with me, then go out on a date with Mankey right after?" he remarked sarcastically,

Kim "Ok, it was what it looked like, but I can explain." She looking up

Ron crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, looking at her all with a distant look on his face. It was almost like he was watching someone else. "I'm listening."

Kim took a deep breath. What she was about to say wouldn't be easy for either of them, and she had hoped she would have more time to plain out what she would say, and how she would say it. However it seemed fate had other ideas. She would simply have to come clean, and hope for the best. "It all started a few months ago when school started. I was working late at club banana when Josh came in. We started talking and he asked me out. Of course I told him no, and told him that you and I were going out."

'_At least she didn't throw herself at him,_' he thought, then returned to listening to the girls story.

"He was…surprised, but said it was cool, and asked if we could at least be friends. I said sure, and we stated hanging out. We'd have lunch sometimes, see a movie every once in a while, just normal friend stuff. But the more we hung out, the more I started to like him, and we started hanging out more and more. Eventually we started holding hands, and then one night he kissed me."

"So he kisses you, and you just decide to dump me. Is that it?" he remarked accusingly, anger laced in his voice.

"No. I mean yes. I mean…" Kim shook her head, attempting to sort out the many thoughts going through her head. "Look it wasn't easy ok. I must have spent a week pulling my hair out, trying to figure out what to do," She snapped, in the defiant tone she was known for.

"And you choose him," said Ron, his voice returning to its emotionless form. It was more of a statement then a question.

Kim's brief flash of fire faded, and she hung her head, too ashamed to look Ron in the eye. "Yes."

And there is was. Kim had chosen Mankey over him. Ron turned his head away from the red head, unable to look at her. Oddly enough the confession that Kim had chosen Mankey over him; didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. Maybe, somewhere, deep in his heart, he had always know that Kim's feeling for him weren't as genuine as he believed they were. What really hurt was that she had hidden it from him. That she had lied to him, and keep secrets from him. That she didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth.

"Why did you lie to me Kim?" His voice was low, barely above a whisper, but in the silence of the cabin she could hear him load and clear.

"I…I…" She wasn't sure how to respond. What should she say? What could she say? Where there even words to explain what she had been feeling? The confusion she felt trying to decide between two people she cared about? The pain she felt in her heart knowing that no matter what she chose, she would end up hurting someone.

Ron turned sharply, glaring daggers at her. "Why didn't you tell me Kim? Why did you lie to me? Why did you keep it a secret?" His voice cracking as anger gave way to sorrow.

Kim looked into Ron's eyes. They were filled with pain, and sorrow, and confusion. His face pleaded with her for an answer. It tore her heart to see him in such a state. "Because…"

"Because what Kim?" snapped Ron, pressuring her. He was tired of Kim lying to him. He wanted her to be honest with him. He wanted the truth.

"I was scared ok!" She shouted. "I was scared of how you'd react. I was afraid that if I told you I wanted to see someone else that you'd hate me, and that you wouldn't want to be friends anymore." As she finished, she suddenly felt drained and very insecure. She wrapped her arms around herself, as tears began to form in her eyes.

Ron sat back in his chair, completely stunned by what Kim had said. "Scared?" Out of all the things he had expected Kim to say, that was not one of them.

Since when was Kim scared of anything. She was one of the strongest and bravest persons he knew. Yet her she was, looking more afraid, and vulnerable than he had ever seen before. Her body was visibly shacking, and tears were beginning to form in her eyes. If there was one thing he hated to see more then anything, it was seeing Kim cry. The sight of his best friend's trembling form while she fought back tears tore at his heart, and the fact that he was the reason she was crying, only made him feel even worse.

The air became silent, and it was only because of the silence that she caught his whisper, "I don't hate you."

Kim sniffed. She looked up at Ron, and whipped the tears from her eyes. "You don't?" She couldn't believe what she'd heard. She had to have misheard him; there was no other possible explanation.

Ron shook his head. "Of course I don't. I could never hate you. You're my best friend. It just really hurts to know that you couldn't trust me enough to tell me about Mon…Mankey. I mean ya; I would have been a little upset."

Kim raised an eyebrow.

"Ok really upset." He said, correcting himself. "But I'd have been there for you, just like I always am."

A silence descended on them, and it suddenly became very important that she say the right thing, or else their friendship could brake beyond repair, and she would lose Ron forever. A thought that a terrified her. "I wasn't lying you know. I really do love you. It's just the kind of love I have for you in more of a brotherly love." she said, as quietly as she could without whispering.

Ron didn't answer, and for one horrible moment Kim was sure that had been the worst thing to say. "Ron, are you ok?"

Ron turned his face half away, and his eyes slid closed over the tears. "No KP, I'm not. I'm as far from ok as I can be. I feel hurt, and angry, and sad, and I don't know what to do."

Kim looked up at him, and in the dying light she could see the pain in his eyes. Ron was hurting, and it was her fault. She had thought that the best way to spare him from the pain was to hide it from him. Obviously that hadn't worked, and now he was hurting even more, and it was all her fault. The thought that she'd done something so deceitfulmade her feel sick to her stomach, and left a bad taste in her mouth. "Ron, please, I hate this. What can I do to make things right?" she said, a desperate tone in her voice.

Ron turned his head back toward Kim, as his body visually relaxed. "Time Kim. You can give me time."

Kim nodded. She wasn't sure what she could say or do to even begin to make up for the pain she had caused? But she would try. She moved forward and pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder, and letting her tears fall there. "I'm so sorry." She said, wiping the rest of the tears from her eyes.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Ron's arms circled around her and pulled her closer as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I know Kim. Me too."

While Kim and Ron were busy rebuilding their damaged friendship, a different conversation was going on back in Middleton. While Ron was busy taking with his best friend, Tara was busy with her best friend, Bonnie.

The two were at currently at Bonnie's house, sitting on her bed talking.

"So I told her, there's no way I'd be caught dead wearing knock off brands," stated the brunette. Regaling her friend with her recent fashion exploits at the local mall.

Tara nodded monotonously, only partially paying attention to what her friend was saying. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in what her friend was saying. It was simply that her mind was currently more focused on something else. A certain goofy blonde sidekick to be exact. She had tried to call Ron earlier, and see if he wanted to hang out today, but his mother said he was on a mission. Still, that was a good thing, right? It meant that he was spending time with Kim, and that he was talking to her, and getting their friendship back on track. She should be happy, shouldn't she?

"Tara? Tara?"

Tara blinked, returning her attention to the brunette by her side. "Huu…what?"

Bonnie frowned. She could tell that something else besides her was occupying the blonde's attention. "All right Tara spill, what's going on?"

"What do mean wrong. Nothing's wrong. Why would you think something's wrong," She quickly said, smiling and waving her hands in front of her.

However Bonnie didn't buy her friend's smiley attitude. Tara had been ignoring her all day. It could only mean one thing. Tara was keeping something from her. And she wanted to know what. "Don't give me that. You've been spacing all day. Now spill," she said. Her eyes had determined look to them, like a mother waiting for a child to confess that they had done something wrong.

Tara became nervous as the brunette's eye bore into her. The girl had a determined look in her eyes. One that meant something sinister was brewing behind her serpent like green eyes. Something that would most likely result in someone being hurt.

**Things between Kim and Ron seem to be going smoothly. But just what does Bonnie have planed, and what consequences will it have. **

**I hope I did a good job on this chapter. I really tried to capture Kim and Ron's emotions. **

**Those of you re-reading this chapter may be confused. I got a lot of review saying that I handled the ending badly. So in response to those reviews, I altered the ending slightly. Hopefully this one is better.**

**Please Read and Review.**


	5. Severing the Bonds of Friendship

**!!! Before I begin I would like to inform everyone that all credit for this chapter goes to daccu65, who sent me a PM saying he had a Kim Possible chapter he once wrote, but would probably never use. I was very impressed, and ****after slightly modifying it to fit the story****, decided to use it. !!!**

**Now that that's out of the way, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. daccu65, LoPe21, Comet Moon, Mr. Average, Doood, VyseN, Sacred White Pheniox, robzone, greenzxr, MR. SE7EN, eckles, me, King Of Anime, tar heels superstar, Deyinel.**

**Chapter 5: Severing the Bonds of Friendship  
**

Later that night Ron laid on his bed. He held his hand in the air, as he stared at it. He was lucky it wasn't broken. After he and Kim got back from the mission, they headed to Kim's house, where her mother examined his hand. She said as long as he didn't do anything stupid, like try and punch a wall, he would be fine. Then again, he was Ron Stoppable. For him not doing stupid things was harder then it looked.

It was getting late and, Ron had been like this most of the night. Spending a long time in deep thought, considering his situation with Kim. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the situation would simply be intolerable to him. He just couldn't go back to being friends, not after she had chosen Josh over him. Still, how could he face her to tell her this? Struggling to control his voice, he picked up his phone and called Wade.

"Hey Ron, what's up?" The young genius answered. Of course he knew it was Ron's phone. He probably even had some way of knowing that Ron was the one who had dialed.

"I've got some…hard news Wade," Ron told his young friend. "I don't know how to say this, so here goes…Wade, I'm out of the sidekick business. I'm not going on any more missions."

For several, endless seconds, silence ruled the telephone line. Then…"Ron, is this some kind of joke?" The young boy asked. "I'm picking up a great deal of stress in your voice, but my scans don't show anybody threatening you or your family."

"Wade, we'll get to your scans and…other things…in a little bit," Ron told him. "I'm serious, I'm done with the mission thing, and I need you to help me let Kim know."

"Kim doesn't know!?" Wade gasped. "You told me before Kim?"

Ron nodded. "And I need your help to tell her, Wade."

"Okay, hold on," Ron could hear some rustling sounds over the phone, as Wade was obviously rummaging through his room. "I'm going to send a backup Kimmunicator your way. I want to discuss this over a secure channel. Open your window and it will fly in."

"I have a request before you do, Wade," Ron surprised himself by thinking quickly. "Can you provide the Kimmunicator with a recording capability, and the ability to fly from my room to Kim's?"

"It already has the recording capability," Wade told him. "And I can program it to fly to Kim's room, or to track her down."

"Her room will be fine, Wade, I don't want to…interrupt…her if she's doing something else." Ron shook his head at the thought of what Kim might be doing with Mankey at this moment. Sometimes having an overactive imagination was a real pain.

"Okay, give me ten minutes to get the device to you, then use it to call me," said Wade.

Ron spent the next several minutes trying to compose himself, trying to come up with the words that would explain what he was going through. He went over to his deck and began writing down his thoughts so he wouldn't forget them. The backup Kimmunicator interrupted him, flying in through his window, and landing on his bed. Ron closed the window against the night air before picking up the device and hitting the call button.

"Okay Ron," Wade answered immediately. "Have you and Kim had some sort of falling out?"

"You were always good at deducing things," Ron answered, with a sad smile. "So please don't make me go into any details."

"Okay, I can understand that," Wade answered. "But don't you think that this is a rash decision?"

Ron shock his head. This was about more than just Kim. This was about safety. Both his and Kim's. "Wade, would you rather have me make a rash decision now, or when we're facing down Dementor's latest doomsday machine? No, I think I'm making a smart decision here." He knew he was. During the last mission he had been a complete wreak. He was unfocused, unmotivated, and completely off his game. It was a miracle he was still alive. If Shego hadn't been too busy laughing her butt off, or if Drakken had enough sense to call in his sintho drones, there was no telling what would have happened.

Wade nodded. "That makes sense. A fractured team is asking for trouble. I can't understand why you would have trouble talking to Kim but…I'll help you with the Kimmuicator. What else do you need?"

"You're tracking me and…monitoring me somehow, aren't you?" said Ron. It was more of a statement than a question. Ron had figured out the he was being monitored a long time ago. How else would Kim have been able to find him when he and Yori went all across the world looking for Sensei.

"I…uh…" stammered Wade.

"I'm not angry with you Wade, I just want to know."

"Yes," Wade admitted. "I have you chipped. I'm able to locate you and monitor some of your vitals."

"I want the chip out of me, Wade," Ron said, calmly but firmly. "I'm turning my back on the sidekick business, and I want a clean break."

"Ron, no!" pleaded Wade. "How will I be able to locate you and know if you're in trouble?"

"You won't have to," Ron reminded him. "Wade, please. If you don't do this for me, so help me I'll complain about full-body numbness after Friday's game. I'll wind up in the hospital, getting some sort of full-body scan and they'll probably find it. At that point, there's going to be some questions, and I don't think you want to have to provide the answers."

Wade stared at Ron, completely stunned at how far he was willing to go on this, and at how well he had thought this through. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"As serious as I've ever been."

Wade nodded. The serious look on Ron's face was all the proof he needed. "Okay, I'm disabling all chip functions at this time," Ron could hear Wade's fingers dancing across his keyboard. "But Ron, I've got to ask you to leave the chips in place. Your work with Kim has made you a prime target for kidnapping! Even if you take yourself out of the game, some of the bad guys might still come looking for you. If you ever vanish, I need to be able to relocate you."

"Okay, you have a point," Ron admitted. "But I want you to promise me that you won't re-enable these chips unless some law enforcement agency declares me missing. I don't want you tracking me just because…someone…wants to find me."

Wade nodded. "You've got it, Ron. Now about the scans I have on your house. I want to keep the hardware in place, after all, some of your ene…I mean your former enemies, might try to take revenge on your family."

Ron was a bit weirded out by that. He didn't know that Wade had his house wired. Now that he thought about it he realized he shouldn't have been. He was pretty sure Wade had the entire world wired. Okay, that's fine, Wade, but I want this clear: I am not in the hero biz anymore, as of this moment."

Wade nodded. "That's clear Ron, but what about Kim? Who's going to back her up?"

"She doesn't really need me," his voice becoming quieter, with a hit or sorrow. "She'll find someone to replace me…again."

"Ron, I think you're about to say some things that you really don't want me to hear," Wade interrupted. "Look, Ron, I don't know what happened between you and Kim but…she needs you on the missions weather you believe it or not. I know I'm only twelve, but I've always considered you a friend. If you ever need to talk, you can always reach me."

Ron smiled. He had always liked Wade, and was happy to be able to count him among the small group of people he could call friends. A group that seemed to be getting smaller. "Thanks Wade, I've really valued your friendship over the years. I…still consider you a friend, but world beating boy geniuses and losers don't mingle much, if you get my drift."

"Ron, you're no loser!" said Wade in a stern voice. He always hated it when Ron put himself down like that.

Ron smiled again. "Thanks for saying it, Wade but I've lost the most precious thing I've ever had. Look, I better get this done so let me say thank you and…goodbye."

"Ron, goodbye and please, please feel free to call. You might not be a hero anymore, but I don't want you to become a stranger."

Ron offered a weak smile and killed the connection. He took a deep breath and composed his thoughts again, reviewing the notes he had written, and the plans that were still in his head. Finally, he was ready to pour his thoughts into the unassuming device in his hand.

"Kim," he began. "Mr. Barkin told us, in that effective speaking class, that we should never start out with an apology. But I have to go against that rule. I'm sorry that I couldn't bring myself to tell you this in person but I just can't, I'm too weak so I did the best I could. Kim, I don't know how to say this so I just have to come out and say it. I can't do the mission thing anymore and I can't do the friends thing anymore."

"It's not you, Kim, believe me it's not you. It's me," he continued, his voice starting to tremble. "I-I just can't handle being around you, knowing that I'm not good enough…for you. It's going to be hell enough seeing you and Josh together, knowing that you chose him over me. Kim, I can't stand the idea of walking you to school every day, knowing that every day you'll leave me and go to him. I can't stand the idea of returning from missions, knowing that you'll be running to him once we get home. I can't stand the idea of you patting me on the shoulder or hugging me, knowing that I'm not worthy of your kiss."

"I don't hate you or Josh, but if I have to watch you leave me, over and over again, I'll start to hate both of you. I don't blame you for what happened, I clearly didn't step up the way you wanted me to and he did. I'm upset and sad, so I think it's time to make a clean break before I become resentful and start to hate you. I never want to hate you."

"I know I told you that we'd always be friends and I hate to say now that I was wrong. I had the chance to think things through after we got back, and I realized that it just wouldn't work out. I loved you Kim. I know that sounds funny coming from one teen to another, but I loved you with everything I had, every fiber of my being. The fact that you didn't love me as much really hurts. If there's anything I could ask from you, it would be to someday tell me where I went wrong. I'm not trying to get you back, Kim. You've already made your choice and I'm going to have to accept that. I just…want to know what I can do better."

"I think, somehow, I knew that this day would come sooner or later," Ron continued, his sobs now evident in his voice. "You're Kim Possible, you can do anything and I'm just Ron Stoppable, the guy who has to fight and claw to be mediocre. You're destined to be great and I'm destined to be obscure. Maybe it's better this way, a break now instead of hanging on to a friendship that keeps fading away. Still, I'll always treasure the times we had and that's why I have to make this a clean break, while the memories are still good. I don't want my bitterness to make them something else."

"You always kept a set of mission gear here, in case a mission came up while you were visiting. I'll drop it off sometime tomorrow…I-I'll just leave it on your step or something. If you want, you can do the same with whatever I left there. It may be different, going on missions on your own, but I was never that much help. Besides, I'm sure you can find someone a lot better than me to have your back."

"I guess it's about time to end this," Ron said, with a note of sorrowful finality. "It's not that we won't see each other anymore it's just that I can't handle being close anymore. I-I just want you to know that I'll always have fond thoughts of you and I hope you'll think fondly of me, from time to time. We had a real weird friendship, the world famous, cheerleading heroine and the loser outcast. Somehow, we managed to make it work a lot longer than anyone would have thought but, like you told me that night in the treehouse, it's time to grow up. Goodbye Kim, and have a good life."

Ron wiped his eyes and sniffled before finishing, "We…we really had some great times, didn't we?"

Ron could barely see through his tears when he hit the switch, ending the recording. Sobbing uncontrollably, he opened his window and activated the Kimmunicator's recall switch, knowing that Wade had programmed it to fly to Kim's house. It didn't matter if Kim was at home or out with Josh, she would eventually find the device, see that it had a message for her and hear what he had just said. He tried not to strain his ears, to try to hear the small device for as long as he could. Finally, he sighed and closed both his window and a chapter in his life.

Ron Stoppable threw himself onto his bed, and let the tears flow freely. He was positive that he had done the right thing, and that he would regret it.

**Wow a very emotional chapter. I really wish I could say that I had written this. Again thanks to daccu65 for the chapter.**

**Until next time Please Read and Review**


	6. Reactions and Reflections

**Yes I know it's taken me forever to get this chapter up, and for that I am deeply sorry. My life has been very chaotic lately and I haven't been able to find any time to sit and write. **

**Also with this chapter, I kept going back a revising it multiple times.**

**On to the reviews. I had a few people say that they would like see Ron go to ****Yamanouchi**** or hook up with Yori. Sorry to say this but I have no real plans to send Ron to Japan. May give Yori a brief cameo later, but that would be all.**

**Rip: Thanks for the ideas. May use some of them, but probably with different people the ones you suggest. **

**Morcelu: Ya I guess I do tend to play up the sadness a bit, but that seems to be my style right now.**

**Joe Stoppingham: Thanks for the review. Only thing I can comment on is that Monique with have something to say about what happened.**

**eckles: Thanks for the long review. The only thing I can really comment on is that Bonnie will play a part in the story. What that part is I cannot say.**

**Coolguy777: Just like with Bonnie Josh will have a role in the story, but once again I cannot say what that is.**

**LoPe21: Glad you like it. To be honest I'm not sure where I'm gonna go with the story. I'm making most of it up as a go, and trying to figure out what to do next. That is part of why it always takes me so long.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and to everyone who favorite this story or added it to their alert list. **

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**Chapter 6: Reactions and Reflections**

At the possible home, Kim was busy working at her computer. Her fingers dancing across the keyboard at a rhythmic pace, as she typed up a report she had due tomorrow.

"And…done."

Kim yawned and stretched. She glanced out her open window at the night sky. She wasn't sure what time it was, but it was starting to get late, and she knew she needed to get to bed soon.

Suddenly a Kimmunicator flew through the window, and landed on her bed. Kim saw the flashing light on the small device, indicating there was a message. _'That's weird. Why would Wade send me a Kimmunicator instead of just calling me himself?' _

She picked up the device, and pressed the button. When she did, she was surprised to see Ron's face appear on the screen. She had never seen her best friend with such a serious, yet saddened expression, and again she wondered what was going on.

As the message played her face drained of color. She felt as though she'd been slapped in the face. At first she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ron couldn't seriously mean what he was saying. It had to be fake, some kind of cruel joke. Ron was just trying to get back at her for dumping him. But as the message continued Kim realized that it wasn't a joke, it wasn't a prank, and it wasn't revenge. Ron was serious, and he meant every word he was saying. Of course she knew that what she had done would hurt Ron, and that things would be different between them afterword. But this? She never expected this. Every word felt like a knife being plunged through her heart, and she could feel something inside her die.

When Ron reached the part about having loved her, she broke into tears. She knew Ron cared about her but she never would have dreamed that his feeling for her were that strong. By the time the message was done her tears were flowing freely. She stared blankly at the black screen for several seconds after the message ended; clutching the Kimmunicator for it was worth. She held it so hard her knuckles began to turn white, as the plastic began to crack. The tears had stopped but her eyes were still wide and watery, and her whole body felt numb and her voice was hallow. "What have I done?" she whispered.

When the feeling returned to her body she immediately picked up the phone, and pressed the speed dial for Ron's number. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer.

Kim hung up the phone in frustration, and dialed again, but again there was no answer. After what must have been the tenth call, she finally gave up. Ron was home, she knew it. She remembered seeing Ron's room in the background of the video. Therefore he simply wasn't answering her. That was a situation she refused to accept. They were going to talk about this, _now._

In the blink of an eye Kim grabbed her jacket and keys, slipped on her shoes without even bothering to tie them, and rushed out of her room.

Downstairs her family looked over when they suddenly heard Kim's door slam, as she rushed down the stairs like a bat out of hell.

"I'm going over to Ron's don't wait up," she said in a hurry.

Kim was half way to the door before she heard her father's response. "Hold it there Kimmie cub. You know you're not allowed to go out this late. Not unless it's for a mission."

Kim stopped in her tracks, and turned to her father, a desperate and pleading look on her face. "But Dad this is important. I need to see Ron right now."

"Is he in trouble?" asked her mother, looking at her daughter's frustrated, and distraught face. She could see the tears lines on her daughters face, and knew there was something deeply troubling her. She looked as though her whole world had come crashing down around her.

Kim shook her head. "No, not really, but…"

"Then you can't go," said her father.

"But Daaad," whined Kim, in a voice she hadn't used since she was young.

Anne turned her attention to her husband. "James why don't you take the boys, and go get something dessert or something, I think Kim and I need to have a talk."

James raised an eyebrow, but the look his wife gave him told him this wasn't something to argue about, and he nodded. "Come on boys lest go get some ice cream. I know a place that's open late."

Jim and Tim, who were watching TV, immediately stopped what they were doing, and rushed to the door. They didn't bother to question why they were being allowed to have sweets so late, or bring up the fact that they already had dessert earlier.

"I want strawberry," said Jim.

"I want chocolate," said Tim.

Anne waited till she heard the sound of the engine start, then led Kim over to the couch, and sat her down. "All right Kimmy. Now why don't you tell me what's going on."

Kim sighed, and sat down on the couch. "I fucked up mom. I mean I really fucked up."

Normally Anne would be upset at her daughter for using profanity but it this case she let it slide. "It's all right Kim. Now why don't you just tell me what happened."

Kim nodded. She took a deep breath, and launched off into the story.

Anne listened carefully to her daughter's story, bracing herself so she wouldn't interrupt or ask pointless questions. But as the story got deeper and more intense, Kim was leaving gaps for her mother to talk to her, and she did. She prompted her to talk more about Ron and Josh, and jealousy, and anger. Slowly Kim let more and more details slip, until Anne felt as if she had been watching the whole thing.

Kim wasn't exactly poetic about it. She fumbled over her words in, awkwardly describing her time with Josh, almost stumbling over her feelings for him. She danced around the word "love" like it was taboo, and her mother gave her a funny look when she changed the topic at the subject of kissing.

Somehow though, Kim managed to be brutally honest, as she'd always been. She just skimped on the details that her mother knew how to fill in herself. Anne still had to admit, there was a bit of anger lurking in the back of her mind, hearing about how badly her daughter had treated Ron.

It wasn't until she reached the part about Ron's message that Kim began to lose her composer, as choking back a sob refusing to let herself cry.

"I just want everything to be like it was before," whispered Kim. She looked up at her mother. The saddened look in Kim's eyes reminded her mother of a lost and scared child desperately seeking answers. "Please, just tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it. Whatever it takes."

Her mother hesitated for a second before answering. "Well, if you really want my advice, I think that the best thing you can do is honor Ron's request, and leave him alone."

"What? I can't do that. I can't just let him go," Kim protested. "I have to make things right with Ron."

"I know, sweetie," Anne replied, after taking a deep breath. "But Ron's dealing with a lot of pain right now. He's hurting Kim, and I don't know if that hurt will ever heal up completely."

"But I need to see him. I need to speak to him. If for no other reason than to beg his forgiveness; even if I don't need too I have to show him how truly I sorry am."

Anne nodded. "I understand Kim, but it's not that simple. Ron's obviously dealing with a lot of mixed emotions, and hurt feeling right now. He needs time to sort them out, and as hard as that is, you're just going to have to accept that."

Kim looked down in shame thinking about the pain she caused her oldest friend. "I just feel so guilty. I can't go on knowing what I did. I have to do something. I have to speak to Ron, I have to repair or replace the friendship that was destroyed. I have to fix this. I can't sit back and do nothing, especially since everything is my fault."

Kim's mother rubbed her back, allowing the moment to pass before continuing. "Kim let me ask you something. Why didn't you tell Ron about Josh when you first decide you liked Josh more than Ron?"

"I don't know." Kim said helplessly. "It's just…I knew how much Ron cared about me, and how much he would be hurt if he knew I didn't feel the same. I didn't want that to happen, I wanted to let him down gently."

"But that's the problem Kim. You didn't let him down gently."

Kim gave her mother a strange look. Obviously not fully understanding what her mother was trying to say.

Seeing the puzzled look on her daughter's face, her mother continued. "Kim, I know that you care about Ron, and I know that you were only trying to protect him, but no matter how you justify it, you still lied to him. Ron trusted you Kim. He trusted you more than anyone else in the world, and you broke that trust by lieing to him and keeping secrets from him. And trust is something that once broken; can't be repaired. All you can do is try to build it up all over again. Now I'm not saying that your friendship can't endure this, but even if it does I don't think things are ever going to be the same for the two of you."

Kim didn't answer, as she looked down in shame. She felt a since of dread flood through her body, as she listened to her mother's words.

Her mother continued in a quiet, comforting voice. "I know this is rough for you, and it hurts you to see someone you care about pull away from you, but what's done is done, and we can't change the past. All we can do is move forward and learn from our mistakes. I know its painful Kim, but if you really love Ron, you have to let him go."

Kim continued looking at the floor. She had stopped paying attention halfway through the conversation. One sentence screamed through her head like a siren, silent to the rest of the world, but deafening to her. _"If you really love Ron, you have to let him go." _Kim blinked away more tears before she muttered quietly. "But why does it have to hurt so much."

Her mother smiled sadly, and touched her shoulder in a gentle manner, prompting Kim to look at her. "I'm afraid that's what happens when you grow up sweaty. Lessons start to hurt." Even if it was her own fault, Anne hated seeing her daughter in this kind of pain. She gently hugged her daughter close, and whipped the tears from her cheeks. The same way she did when Kim was a child. She wished so much that she could take away all the pain her daughter was feeling. For now though, this was all she could do. She just hoped it was enough.

---

That night Kim lay awake under the soft sheets of her bed. Usually she would fall asleep within minutes of head touching the pillow, but her mind refused to allow her the piece of slumber.

She kept thinking over what her mother had told her. She remembered her mother's question about why she hadn't told Ron about Josh. This was the answer. This was why she hadn't told Ron about Josh. Because she was afraid of this exact thing happening. What hurt the most was knowing that as horrible as she felt, Ron was probably hurting ten times worse. She knew that if she could explain herself to Ron the same way her mother had explained things to her, it might help ease the pain she had caused.

When one a.m. flashed on her Kimunicator she found herself sitting upright in her bed, her Panda-roo held tightly to her chest, and no closer to sleep then she was earlier. Knowing she wouldn't get to sleep soon, she got up and walked to her window. She looked across the yards, and her vision focused on a Ron's house.

She smiled as she remembered how they spoke to each other on the phone while standing at their windows. Even though they could only see vague silhouettes of each other, it still gave them a stronger sense of connection to be able to both see and hear each other. She would often slip out of her window, silently run down the street, climb the tree in the Stoppable's backyard, and tap on Ron's window. It was always funny how every time Ron would scream slightly and jump before realizing it was her. She remembered how they would sit in his room and talk late into to the night. Of course they had to keep their voices low to make sure Ron's parents didn't find out about their night time activity. God only knew what they or her parents would think they were up to.

As she gazed at the house she could see the light of Ron's room cutting through the darkness, shining like a beacon, almost calling to her.

Suddenly her since of determination kicked. Ron was more than just her best friend, he was family. She couldn't let him simply walk out of her life, not live this, and defiantly not without a fight. She didn't care if he demanded a public apology, recognition for his contributions, or the chance to call the shots during an upcoming mission. She'd do whatever it took to mend their friendship.

She unfastening the latches, and opened the window. As she lifted her leg out the window she heard her mother's voice echo in the recess of her brain, as one sentence screamed through her head like a siren, silent to the rest of the world, but deafening to her. _"If you really love Ron, you have to let him go." _Kim stood there. Her body half way out the window, posed to jump down to the grass below. Slowly, and with great regret, she pulled herself back into her room, and shut the window.

Though she surrendered herself to follow her mother's advice, the fire of determination inside her refused to die, and would not be satisfied until she took some sort of action. Yet what could she do? Ron wasn't answering his communicator or his phone. She could try recording a message and sending it to him, but that had already been done. Finally an idea came to her.

She went over to her desk and began writing. She wrote and wrote, letting all her thoughts and emotions flow out on to the paper. After a few minutes she crumpled the paper up, and began writing again. This might be the most important letter she ever had to write, and it had to be perfect. She refused to settle for less. So she wrote it again, and again, and again, refusing to stop until it was perfect. The clock ticked as she went through countless sheets of paper. Her waste paper basket went from empty to over flowing. No matter how hard she tried she simply couldn't find the words to accurately express the pain, the sorrow the guilt, and the regret she felt.

Finally after hours of writing, and a painful case of writer's cramp, she was done. Even though there was no guarantee Ron would read what she wrote, it still felt better than doing nothing. As she read over her writing one last time, seeing on paper the feelings she'd struggled with over the last few days, and the way she'd handled them, the tears that had been successfully held in place finally gave out.

They flowed easily down her face, but she didn't try to stop them. She let them flow. She had just sacrificed her oldest and dearest friend, for what she believed to be the boy of her dreams. She just prayed that she had made the right choose.

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**Yes I know this chapter is way too short considering how long it took me to post it. I was thinking about making it part of the last chapter but I wanted that to be by itself since that part was done entirely by daccu65. Plus I was taking too long as it was. **

**Fear not though the next chapter will be up much, much, sooner. **

**Until then Please Read and Review.**


	7. High School Buzz

**I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter. As always thanks to all the people who reviewed the last chapter, as well as everyone who favorite the story or myself.**

**Tara #1: Yes Kim will need a new temp partner and she will get one, but it won't be Josh, thank goodness. So far I have no plans for Shego or Drakken to make any further appearances, but there will be villains later, and the loss of Ron will affect the outcome.**

**eckles: Glad to see you don't hate Kim as much now. ****Before I was getting a lot of reviews of people saying how they hated Kim for what she did to Ron so I really wanted to try and redeem her, if only a little. Judging from the feedback I'd say I accomplished what I set out to do. Also ****the letter that Kim wrote to Ron will be in the next chapter.**

**waveform: Team Possible will go on, though it will be rough going after this. Kim and Ron are both in for some rough days ahead. They will both have to analyze themselves, who they are, and what is important to them.**

**King Of Anime: For now Kim and Ron are going to try and lead as separate lives as possible. Though it won't be easy. **

**Eddy13: Oh how I wish I could tell you the fate of Kim and Ron's relationship, but doing so would spoil much of the story. Rest assured though, that your question will be answered by the time the story ends. **

**LoPe21: Actually I am planning to have Ron talk to Kim's mom in a few chapters. Sorry to disappoint you but I have really have no plans for a three-way of any kind. Also sorry about the spelling mistakes, unfortunately spelling is my biggest weakness.**

**James MacPherson: Not sure what you mean by strong language but I will do my best to not use it in future chapters.**

**Kazikamikaze24: There will be more Ron and Tara scenes (once I figure out what they are), and brother/sister moments between Ron and Bonnie is something I hadn't thought of, but is an interesting idea. I'll work on it.**

**Dacus65: Thank you for the splendid and helpful review. As always you have given me many different plot devices to explore. Kim and Monique will have word in the next chapter. It hadn't occurred to me to have Kim's dad talk to Josh, but now I think I'll put it in.**

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**Chapter 7: High School Buzz**

Ron opened his eyes, surprised that he had finally managed to fall asleep last night. He was still tired, but he wouldn't be able to sleep in. He really didn't want to go to school today, or even get out of bed. It seemed as though all his love for life had been sucked out now that Kim was on longer a part of his life.

Everything had been so simple yesterday. It was incredible how it had all gotten so complicated so fast. Silently, he wished he could talk to Mister Barkin. His teacher would surely know more about this then he did. He would probably be able to advise him and give him the encouraging words he so badly needed to hear. Yet at the same time, he wasn't sure how he would explain it to him. He couldn't even explain what happened properly to himself. All he really knew was that there was this pain in his heart that looked like it would never go away, and it made everything that used to bring him happiness seem absolutely meaningless. All he wanted to do was stay in bed, and wallow in his self pity.

Unfortunately he didn't have time to just sit around and mope. In addition to classes he had football practice after school, followed by a late night shift at Smarty-Mart. Normally Ron only worked on the weekends, but he had traded his shift last weekend, so he could the spend time with Kim. He was going to tell her at Bueno Nacho, but after what happened, it didn't really matter.

He sighed, recalling that he had only joined the football team to keep Kim, and had only gotten the job to please her. For a few moment, he considered quitting them both. Just chucking it all and fleeing to Japan to hide at Yamanouchi for few days, or years. But he decided against it. People now counted on him, and he couldn't just let them down by walking away. Ron Stoppable may have been a loser, but he was not a quieter. Besides those same responsibilities might help him cope with his new reality.

He paused for a few moments, looking at his telephone and his computer. A few minutes after he sent the Kimmunicator to deliver its message his phone had rang, and the caller ID informed him it was Kim calling. Ron simply turned off the ringer without answering. Shortly after that, Kim had sent him a series of emails. Ron deleted the messages without opening them. He was surprised Kim hadn't stormed over and demanded to talk to him. A sign that told Ron Kim was backing off like he wanted her too. His heart, if it had been able to feel at all, broke a little bit more. He had wanted space from her it was true, but then again he didn't want to know that it was truly over. He had almost wished Kim had come to his house to apologize and ask him to forgive her like always.

Not this time. This time it was really over.

He went through his morning routine, preparing himself for the day, though it was with a hallowness he'd never felt before. As he made his way out of his room, he passed by his sleeping parents room. It was rare for him to up before them. He paused by his new baby sister's room, and went it to check on her. He found her fast asleep in her crib. Ron smiled. Out of all the responsibilities he had, this was the most important. It was ironic. When Hana first showed up he wanted nothing more than to get rid of her, even going so far as to refer to her as 'the intruder'. Now she was the main reason he was staying. He leaned in and gave her a small kiss on her forehead before quietly exiting.

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While Ron was Kim was walking to school to with Josh. Normally she would just drive, but she felt the fresh air and exercise might help her clear her head. She was also wearing sunglasses to hide her eye that were red from all the crying she did last night. She had just finished telling Josh all about Ron's message, and what happened last night. Of course she down played her reaction a bit. No need to make her boyfriend worry about her.

Josh shook his head as Kim finished her story. "Man, I am so sorry Kim."

Kim stared at Josh in disbelief. He thought it was his fault. He honestly thought it was his fault! There she was trying to find the words to tell him how badly she had messed things up and he thought he had done something wrong! Kim furiously shook her head, and stared at him, into his kind, concerned, loving eyes. "It's ok Josh. It's not your fault this happened. You were just doing what you thought was right. If there's anyone to blame it's me."

"Hey don't talk like that," said Josh trying to lift his girlfriend's spirits. "We all make mistakes. I know I made one when I broke up with you."

Kim smiled and blushed slightly, touched by how worried Josh was about her now, how much he cared about her, how much he loved her. "Thanks." Even though she had lost her best friend Kim still stood by her decision, and being with Josh made her feel much batter. It made her feel that what she did was not in vain, and that despite the pain she had caused, something good had come from it.

"Maybe I should try talking to him," said Josh. "See I can help straighten this whole thing out."

"No!" Kim cried, almost loosing. The thought of Josh talking to Ron sent chills down her spine. Ron had never liked Josh much in the first place, so there was no telling how he felt toward him now. Even though Ron was normally a pacifist who avoided fighting, she could definitely see this as being one of those few situations where he would hit first and talked never. She didn't want to have to visit her new boyfriend in the hospital.

Josh raised an eyebrow at Kim's outburst, but she shook her head, and calmed down.

"I mean no," she stated calmly. "My mom already said that wouldn't help and that it would only make things worse."

Josh nodded in understanding. Kim's words helped, but he still felt horrible. He honestly hadn't meant for this to happen. Then again he hadn't meant to get back together with Kim either.

At first he really did just want to be friend with her. The whole reason he had broken up with Kim in the first place was because she was, for lack of a better word, weird. She would always stutter, say weird things, then back peddle on what she said, and end up saying something weirder. Whenever he talked to her she always seemed to have this far off, star struck look in her eyes, that quite frankly, gave him the creeps.

But when he talked to her that day at the mall, she was different. She was calm, cool, and friendly. She was more like the Kim he saw in school. The one he had always wanted to get to know.

As they talked he had listened while Kim told him about her problems with Ron, bearing her soul to him. He didn't mind her dumping her problem's on him. Being labeled as the sensitive artist, people often came to him with their problems. Mostly it was girls, but there were a few times when even guys asked for his advice.

When Kim told him about what Ron did on their dates. How he paid for their food using coupons, and how Kim had to stand there while Ron played arcade games, he felt bad for her. Here Ron had this great, goddess of a girlfriend, and he was completely ignoring her.

When Kim admitted to him that the reason she acted so odd when they dated was because she liked him so much, and because she had never really been in a serious relationship before, that was when Josh decided to make a move. He knew it was wrong. Kim was already in a committed relationship. But he couldn't help himself. Kim was a great girl, who was stuck with an immature kid of a boyfriend. As far as Josh was concerned, she deserved better.

Still, while he may have meant to steal Kim as his girlfriend, he never meant to ruin their friendship. _'I guess there isn't much I can do about it though. Except to be there for Kim.'_

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The engine roared, as he squeezed the throttle, pushing the vehicle to its limit. The wind was whipping against his face, adrenaline pumped through his veins. _'Sometime when it's just me and my wheels, I kinda lose myself,' _thought Ron.

Normally Ron wouldn't take his scooter because it was so incredibly slow. Thankfully he no longer had to worry about that. After Kim's brothers modified Kim's car, he convinced them to fix up his scooter. It still wasn't a speed machine, topping out at about 40 mph. It didn't it have any cool gadgets like Kim's car, and it still looked more like it belonged in a scrap yard rather than out on the open road. But it worked, and it was good enough to get him where he needed to go.

He smiled as he expertly weaved his way in and out of traffic, taking turns at speeds far above what was safe. There was simply something about riding his scooter that helped lift his spirit. It was as though the world and all its problems were miles away.

Ron managed to find a parking spot right in front of the school. _'Bohya, non-sucker parking. Maybe today won't be so bad.' _He cut the engine and put his helmet into his backpack before dismounted his bike. He stared at the school. It seemed so strange to think that he would be going through the day without Kim. They had been all but inseparable ever since they meet in Pre-K.

Ron mentally braced himself harder than he ever had before a mission. He knew it would be difficult adjusting to life without Kim. He also knew that as soon as classes started and his fellow students saw Kim and Josh together, everyone would know that Kim where no more, and thing's would really hit the fan.

Still he had to do this, and the sooner he moved forward, the sooner he could move on with his life. "This is it Rufus," he said out load, prompting the mole rat to stick his head out of Ron's pocket at the mention of his name. "The first day of the rest of our lives." Determined to not show weakness, he squared his shoulders and prepared to face his first day without Kim Possible.

As he approached the school people would stop talking and stare at him, or look in the other direction innocently. He even thought he heard the occasional snicker. Even Rufus seemed to pick up on the awk-weirdness, poking his head out of Ron's pants pocket, and looking around warily. Ron pated his small friends head trying to ease the tension the mole rat was feeling. "I know Rufus. I feel it too."

As he approached his locker the feeling of paranoia only intensified. When he turned the corner a large group of people stood murmuring amongst themselves. When he approached they grew silent and nervously parted. The cause of the disturbance was immediately obvious when he spotted Kim and Josh walking arm-in-arm. Kim looked up from Josh and saw Ron locking at her.

The two froze, unsure of what to say. Slowly the other people in the hall noticed their state, and stopped to see what was going on. Eventually the people cleared to the side until it was only the three of them surrounded by a circle of their pears. Up and down the hallway, the faces of the entire Middleton High student body swung back and forth between the new couple and Ron. Even though they had heard rumors of the break-up, they still couldn't come to grips with the situation. Neither Ron nor Kim where sure of what to say or do. They simply stayed rotted in their place.

The only sound that could be heard was that of a certain naked mole rat on Ron's shoulder growling at the blonde and red head across from him. However his fierceness went unnoticed those around.

Among the student surrounding the three was Bonnie Rockwaller, who simply couldn't hide the huge smile that sprang onto her face as she watched the sight in front of her. She stepped forward as she prepared to unleash the mother of all verbal barbs. But before she could, Tara approached her, and asked her something.

Instantly all eyes switched to the source of the new commotion. Tara gulped, suddenly becoming very nervous now that all eye were on her. She was never one for being in the spot light.

Ron stared at the blonde girl for a second as she proceeded to talk to her best friend. About what, he didn't know. He couldn't help but wonder why she had chosen this moment to make herself heard. For a spit second his eyes caught hers, and she gave him a look. It was a look Ron was all too familiar with. It was the same look that Kim gave him on missions when silently signaling him to spring into action.

Finally his brain clicked, and he realized she was providing him with a distraction to get to homeroom before the social order's queen could really lay into him. He gave one last look at Kim and her new boyfriend before heading down a nearby hallway. He would to take the long route to class this morning.

Kim stared at Ron's retreating figure. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she complexly forget about those around her.

"Kim? Are you ok?" said Josh, as he waited for his girlfriend.

Kim shook her head coming out of whatever daze she had been in. When she did she realized that Ron had already left. "What? Oh...I'm fine...everything's fine," she said quickly.

Josh raised an eyebrow in concern but said nothing. "We should probably get to class or we're going to be late." He said as he started walking off.

Kim nodded though her eyes were still glued to the spot Ron had been. "It's already too late," she said before walking after Josh. Letting go was going to be a lot harder then she thought.

As the crowd dissipated only two students were left in the hall. One was a very beautiful and very fashionable African American girl, and the other was a less then fashionable handicapped boy in an overly high tech wheelchair.

"Did you just see what I just saw?" asked Felix.

Monique nodded, and turned to Felix. "Don't suppose you know what's going on."

Felix thought for a second before responding. "I heard a rumor that Kim dumped Ron, but I didn't think it was true."

Monique nodded. She too had heard the awful rumors about Kim cheating on, and then dumping Ron. Naturally she hadn't believed them firmly believing that Kim would never do such a thing. Now she wasn't so sure. "There's got to be more to it than that." said Monique.

Felix nodded in agreement. "The usual. You take Kim, I take Ron."

Monique nodded, and the two went their separate ways.

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For the rest of the day Kim didn't have a single moment of piece. All day long people had been heckling her about her break-up with Ron. She was constantly subjected to questions, comments, and a flurry of boys asking her if she wanted to go out with them. Ron Reager even tried to interview her about the break-up for the school paper.

She knew that the break up would cause controversy and raise questions, but this…this was insane. There were rumors about her cheating on Ron not only with Josh, but also multiple other guys, and doing things that made her stomach turn. There were also rumors about Ron cheating on her with other girls, and doing similar things. There was even one rumor that Ron had tried to take advantage of her.

She tried as hard as she could to stop the rumors and set things straight, going so far as to verbally lay into a fellow cheerleader when she asked if Ron had hurt her, an act that only served to almost get her suspended. It seemed things were already too far out of control. All she could do now was wait for things to die down, and hope something happened soon that was bigger than her and Ron braking up. Fat chance.

Bonnie smirked from where she sat across the lunch room, as she watched the dishearted look on Kim's face. When she had started the rumors about Kim and Ron's break up after Tara had told her about her run in with Stoppable, she hadn't completely believed it was true herself. Her blonde friend had a habit of sometimes blowing situations out proportions. She had hoped that the rumors she started would knock her red head rival down a peg or two, but she never imagined that it would be like this. It was far better then she could have hoped.

Tara, who was sitting next to Bonnie, saw the grin on her best friend's face. A wave of guilt washed over her, knowing she was partially responsible for what had happened today and what would happen throughout the days to come. She truly hadn't wanted to betray Ron's trust, but when it came to Bonnie her willpower was about as strong as wet paper.

Seeing that her friend was preoccupied she picked up her food and went to look for Ron. She looked around the tables but didn't find him. She then looked around outside, but couldn't find him anywhere. Finally she stopped under a large tree to ponder Ron's seemingly magical disappearance. "Where is he?"

"Where is who?"

Tara almost jumped out of skin. She looked up to find Ron sitting on a large branch in the tree she was under._ 'How did he get up there?'_ The amazing thing was that the branch he was on was a good ten feet off the ground, with no lower branches for him to have climbed.

In one swift movement Ron jumped down from the tree landing next to her. After the incident in the hall he decided it would be best to avoid both Kim and Josh at all costs. At least until the heat died down and he could walk past them without it being an incident.

Of course that was easier said than done since he shared most of his classes with Kim. In fact the only classes he didn't share with her was health class, and lunch, which in his mind should constitute as a class, since he'd easily get an A. He decided to eat his lunch outside for the time being knowing that if he ate inside everybody would dog him for the fact that Kim had dumped him.

"Wow, you're just like a monkey," commented Tara.

Ron shivered. "Please…please…don't use the 'm' word."

Tara laughed. She had forgotten about Ron's long list of fears, like monkey's and Camp Wanaweep. Then again she wasn't one to throw stones as she had a few phobias of her own, and after everything that happened last year, Camp Wanaweep was definitely one of them. Thank god the school cancelled cheer camp this year. "Sorry. So what are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Just trying to get some peace," he grumbled. Ron's day had been anything but easy. Today had been probably been one of the worst school days of his life. Not counting the time he came to school in his underwear. All day long people had been asking about his break-up with Kim. Why it happened? What happened? If Kim really was as easy people said. The last one really ticked him off, and he had to restrain himself from bashing in the skull of the guy who said it. Not to mention Bonnie and her posse making hurtful remarks whenever he was in the area. Thankfully she hadn't had much luck with the subtle barbs, since Tara distracted her on almost every occasion.

Tara hung her head as another wave of guilt washed over her. "I'm sorry."

Ron looked at the blonde in confusion. "What are you sorry for? It's not like it's your fault. If anything I should be thanking you for blocking Bonnie all day."

Hearing Ron say that he was grateful only made the emotional knife in her chest dig deeper. "Actually it is my fault. I was hanging out with Bonnie the other day and I kind of let slip that you and Kim broke up.

Ron's eyes went wide at the confession. He knew that the rumors and gossip of what had transpired had escalated far beyond those that normally circulated after a break up, even one like this, but he couldn't figure out why. He certainly never thought it was because of Tara. "Tara how could you."

Tara looked down in shame. Even though Ron never actually told her to keep the break-up between him and Kim a secret she still felt guilty. He had confessed to her his inner most feeling, and she had betrayed him by telling his secrets to someone she knew would use them to hurt him. "I'm really sorry Ron. I didn't mean to tell, honest. It's just…Bonnie's got this way of making people talk, even when they don't want to."

Ron saw the sad look in Tara's eyes, and any anger he had toward her quickly vanished. "It's cool. Everybody makes mistakes."

Tara's head shot up, as she looked at Ron in wonder. She couldn't possibly have heard what she thought she heard. Normally when she did something wrong Bonnie would yell at her, and lecture her. Telling her how stupid she and useless she was. "Really? So you aren't mad at me?"

Ron shook his head. "Naw, people were going to find out about me and Kim eventually. So it's no big."

In the back of his mind Ron was doubtful of his words. He had always found it difficult to trust those who were high on the popularity chain, except for Kim or course, due to the fact that most of the time those on at or near the top of the chain were either physically of verbally assaulting him. It was part of why he had trouble getting along with guys like Mankey and Eric. Tara was no exception this paranoia. For all he knew the girl was nothing more than a spy sent by Bonnie to obtain information from him that could be used to hurt him and Kim. There simply was no way for him to know if she really was sorry what she did, or if she was simply feeding him a pack of lies, and stringing him along like a puppet. That she was just using him, just like Kim had.

Still, if there was one thing he knew it's what it was like having a friend who pressured you into telling them your secrets. He subconsciously rubbed his shoulder remembering when he tried to keep a secret from Kim, and how when he refused to tell her she literally twisted his arm. Sometimes it was hard having a friend that knew 16 styles of kung-fu, not to mention painful. He also had to admit that the girl truly sounded sincere, and she had really helped him these last few days. She had been a rock when he was adrift in an emotional sea of pain and heartache. A rock that he was reluctant to admit he still needed. There was also the fact that she had told him what she did without him even having to ask her. That had to could for something right?

"Why, would you rather I hold a grudge and get all melodramatic over it?" He asked, then pulled his hair down until it was covering his left eye and spoke in a deep voice. "Your betrayal leaves a thousand scars on my heart. Woe is me for none can know my pain."

Tara couldn't help but laugh, and Ron joined in as he flipped his hair back to its usual position. It was the first time he'd laughed for real since seeing Kim with Josh at the mall.

"What was... what was with the fringe?" she asked, as she got her breath back.

Ron shrugged. "I don't know. It just seemed appropriate."

"So, you want to do something after school?" she asked hopefully.

Ron shook his head. "Sorry I…I can't."

Tara's eyes saddened at the rejection. She should have known. Even though he said he forgave her he didn't mean it. Not that she could blame him? '_He probably just said he did to be nice_.'

Ron saw the dejected look on her face and instantly realized what was going through her head. "No, no, it's not that I don't want to hang out with you, really, it's just that I can't. See I gotta pull a double shift over at Smartymart today."

Tara nodded, feeling her spirits lifting slightly at Ron explanation. The rest of their conversation was cut short by the sound of the bell ringing, signaling the end of lunch hour.

"I guess I better get going. Don't want Barkin giving me detention." said Ron.

"Oh ya, me too," said Tara, her voice holding a hint of sadness.

Ron watched as Tara began to walk away. "Tara."

Tara stopped and turned back around to face the Ron. "Ya," she said; a small amount of hope in her voice.

"I'm free tomorrow if you want to do something."

Tara smiled the bight and innocent smile that only she could pull off. "Yes, I'd like that."

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**Well I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. **

**I had a really hard time figuring out the ending. I wanted Ron to forgive Tara but I didn't want people to thing that I had let Tara off easy. Basically ****yes, Ron did forgive Tara, but that doesn't mean he trusts her. Not right now anyway. She'll have to really work to prove herself.**

**Until next time please be kind. Read, Review, and give ideas if you have any.**


	8. True Friends

**OVER 100 REVIEWS.**

**Wow, I never thought this story would get this many reviews this fast. Heck, I never though this story would get this many reviews period. You like me! You really like me!  
**

** Anyway, I'm glad that everyone enjoyed the last chapter. Thank you to all the people who reviewed the last chapter, as well as everyone who favorited either the story or myself.**

**Hippie Painter, King Of Anime**

**LoPe21: Once again I say, no threesome, however Bonnie as a sisterly character and the babysitting of Hana are both very interesting idea's that I just may put in.**

**Dacuu65: Monique and Felix will both have words, and Ron and Kim are both in for grief. Also thanks for all your help and suggestion's with this chapter as well as the story in general. You Rock!**

**Slyrr: Thank you, and yes Kim will now have to go on missions minus Ron. Better start playing the doomsday music.  
**

**Joe Stoppinghem: I'll let slip that Josh and Ron will eventually face off, but not till near the end.  
**

**Ormagoden: Congratulations, you have officially sent me the longest review I've ever gotten, and I thank you for it. You had a lot of awesome and interesting suggestions. Many of which have given me new idea's for various character interaction. Obviously I can't say which of your theories about what happens in the the story are true, but I can tell you that some of your theories totally are dead on correct, some of them are half correct, and some of them are completely wrong. See if you figure out which are which. **

**Prodigy25: Alas there shell be no Zorpex, or MMP. However there will be a few times where Ron will have to step up and show what he's really made off. **

**Joel Connell: LOL. It's so funny that you should mention Ron meeting Tara's family. I actually had an entire sub-plot planned for the story involving exactly the kind of interaction you suggested. I even created three OC characters that would have served as Tara's main family members. However after going through what I have planned for the story I ended up having to cut the family out. Though it pained me deeply to have to do so. Such is the harsh and painful decisions that a writer must make. However the OC characters I created will not die though, as I'm planing to use them in another KP fanfic after I finish this one. (And no it's not a squeal to this one.)  
**

**kazikamikaze24: Actually starting with this chapter the story line will somewhat spit, and go back and forth between Kim's life and Ron's life. As for Shego, like I said before I have no plans to use her later in the story but (a) villains reaction to Tara may happen.**

**James McPherson: All I can say about Bonnie is that she will have a big part to play in the story starting in the next chapter.**

**Mr. Average: Nice summary of Bonnie's personality and yes like the predator that she is, she has something wickedly evil up her sleeve. And CONGRATULATIONS on being the super special 100th reviewer! You get a plate or cyber cookies!  
**

**Chapter 8: True Friends  
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Ron smiled as he headed to the locker room for football practice once school was over. His talk with Tara earlier had really helped to lift his spirits.

She had even asked him to meet her tomorrow to work on some homework that they were both struggling with. Ron had to smile about that, thinking that it would be nice to have a friend near his mental level. While neither he nor Tara were idiots, Felix, Monique and Kim were so brilliant that doing homework with them always left him feeling inadequate.

When he enter the locker room Ron was forced to struggle through the collection of testosterone driven muscle bound behemoths that where his fellow team mates, in order to get to his locker. He was pushed around like a rag doll, with no one bothering to say hi to him, or even acknowledged that he was there.

Even though he was practically the star of the football team most of the other players on the team refused to cut him any slack. Off the field they treated him the same way they had before he joined the team. They didn't actually bully him anymore, but they didn't acknowledge him either. They didn't ask him to hang out after games, didn't invite him to any of the after game parties, they didn't even say hi to him when they passed him in the halls. Once again he was part of a click, but still an outsider. The main reason was because most of the guys on the football team were either dating cheerleaders, or other high status girls. All of whom were under Bonnie's thumb and through a trickledown effect the brunette continued to enforce the power of the food chain, even when she wasn't around.

As Ron got dressed he noticed a few of the guys were giving him odd looks, and whispering him about him.

"So Stoppable, how's your love life going?" said one of the guys.

Ron frowned. He looked over at the guy who had spoken. It was Scott Jerkins the new quarter back. While he wasn't quite as muscular as the former quarterback Brick Flag, he was still fairly large. He was also stuck up, arrogant, selfish, and almost as hung up on the food chain as Bonnie.

"Word is that your girlfriend dumped you to go out with Mankey," said Scott.

Ron didn't respond and concentrated instead on the coming practice. This wasn't the first time someone had made a comment about his brake up with Kim, and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

Normally it was easy for him to bush off harsh comments, but this was different. The wound Kim left on his heart cut far deeper than any other. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hide all the pain he felt under a false smile.

While school had been a torture session, football practice was a welcome relief. A way to release the tension and anger that had built up during the day.

Ron spent the first half of practice running up and down the field practicing catching the ball as different team member threw to him while others tried to catch him. Ron did miss the ball a few times, but he made up for it with the fact that no one was able to tackle him when he did catch it.

For the second half of practice Ron had to line up again other players and practice his defense by trying to stop them from getting past him. It was just his luck that he ended up against Scott.

As they lined up Scott kept his voice low so that only Ron could hear him. "Ya know Stoppable the way I heard it. The only reason Possible dating you in the first place was out of pity."

Ron frowned, but didn't respond. He knew the guy was simply trying to get a rise out of him. Scott had always had a thing for Kim, and had been jealous when he learned that Ron was dating Kim. Of course Ron knew Kim would sooner date Motor Ed then a jerk like Scott.

However, eager to see how far he could push Ron, Scott continued with his verbal insults. "Face it Stoppable. You were born a loser, you'll die a loser, and only the fleas will morn you."

'_Loser'_ That word bounced around inside Ron's head. He once again felt the anger welling up inside him. The same anger he felt when he faced Drakken. The second the whistle blew Ron plowed head first into the quarterback as hard as he could. The man was quickly knocked to the ground as he clutched his gut in pain.

Instantly Barkin rushed onto the field and halted the practice. "Alright Stoppable, I think that's enough for today. Go and hit the showers." The only reason he didn't send him to detention was because he too had heard the rumors of Ron and Kim's brake up, and knew Ron was going through a though time. Even though he wasn't pleased with Ron's new attitude he was pleased with the aggressiveness it seemed to have brought out in him. A smirked crossed his face as a vision of Ron unleashing this same anger on the opposition come Friday's game swirled in his head.

Ron took off his helmet and headed back to the locker room. "I'm not a loser, and I don't have fleas." He said, then scratched his suddenly itchy head.

-----

Since practice ended early for him, Ron was able clock in early for his double shift at Smarty-Mart.

As he set to work it occurred to him that at this very moment Kim was doing the same thing. She was working while he was working, maybe even taking her lunch breaks while he did. The thought of food and work made him realize something. While he had been sweating his backside off at this job, a job which Kim had insisted he take, she had been working at the teen fashion nirvana and meeting with Josh for her lunch breaks. While he was working, she was seeing another guy behind his back.

That thought put him in foul mood. Fortunately the retail superpower had just received a large shipment so he had spent most of his time venting his frustrations by heaving heavy merchandise. His manager was very impressed with the speed with which he unloaded the truck.

The sound a motorized wheelchair eventually dragged Ron from his unpleasant thoughts. Looking at his watch, he realized that it was almost dinnertime.

Ron looked up from the boxes he was inventorying and saw his best friend Felix rolling towards him. "Felix? What are you doing here?" Normally tonight was Ron and Felix's official game night, but since Ron had to work he had to cancel.

Felix shrugged. "Well I figured since you couldn't come over to see me, I'd come to see you. I though you worked in the Pet Department though. Why are you doing inventory in the storage room?"

Ron smiled. "Believe it or not, the Ron man is just too good at his Pet Department job. I was finished so the boss put me back here to make sure we had all the merchandise in stock the computers say we do."

Felix read one of the box's labels. "Anchor…eight-tons. I can't exactly picture you moving a lot of these out of a store in Colorado."

"Hey," Ron shrugged. "It's part of the official Smartmart inventory list, so as a duly franchised outlet of the Smartymart chain, we stock them."

"Why do you inventory them though? Don't tell me you actually have a problem with people stealing them? Wouldn't it be kind of hard to fit something like that under a coat?"

"You'd be surprised," said Ron, reflecting on the fact that it wasn't just crazed supervillians that did really bizarre things. "So what managed to pull you away from your badical game system?"

Felix shrugged. "It's not really as much fun playing zombie fighter without you to beat on, so I figured since you couldn't come to see me, I'd come to see you. I brought you something." Felix pushed a button on his chair and a mechanical hand extended from it, holding a large Bueno Naco bag which he had purchased before coming. Bueno Naco was one of the few things Smarty-Mart didn't carry, so he knew Ron would probably be rolling on the floor with hunger, or at least whining about it, by the time he got there.

"Badical," said Ron, smiling and taking the bag from the mechanical arm. He opened the paper bag, allowing the delicious spicy aroma invade his nostrils. Felix had even taken the liberty decking out his burrito the way he liked it. "Felix man you're a life saver and it's my official break time. What would I do without you?"

Felix put his finger to his chin and thought for a moment. "Go insane, and build doomsday devices to take over the world?"

Ron laughed. "Probably."

After finding a box for Ron to sit on, and another to place their food on, the two friends gorged themselves, devouring their meals in under two minutes. It was a new record.

Ron always enjoyed the fact that while he was with Felix, he could kick back and just be himself. Even with Kim, there was always a level of sophistication he tried to keep whenever he was with her. Granted it was a low level of sophistication, but still a lever of sophistication, which wasn't something that came naturally to him.

Once the two finished their meals, Felix decided to approach the topic that had been on his mind all day. "So…about you and Kim."

Ron groaned. Felix was his best non-female friend, which now that he was no longer seeing Kim, meant he was now his best human friend. He should have known he would bring that up. "Yes Kim and I broke up. Can we please just drop it?" he replied, a slight edge to his voice.

Felix was surprised by the outburst, and waved his hands in defense. "Whoa easy man. No need to bite my head off."

Ron grinned sheepishly, embarrassed at how he had snapped at his friend. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little edgy. People have been bugging me about the whole Kim break-up thing all day. I swear if one more person mentions me and Kim breaking up, I'm gonna scream."

Felix nodded. "Hey it's cool. If you don't want to talk about it then don't talk about it."

Ron shook his head. "Naw, if anybody deserves to know what happened, it's you." Ron took a deep breath before launching into his story. It took him almost ten minutes before he finally finished explaining everything that had happened over the past few days.

Felix shook his head once Ron fished his story. "Man I can't believe she did that."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought when I found out."

"Well I think you're better off without her," said Felix, after a moment's thought.

Ron was surprised at Felix's words. Even though Felix had never been as close to Kim as he was, the two were still good friends; and Ron couldn't believe he would say something so harsh. "Uh Felix are you felling okay? You know this is Kim we're talking about and not Bonnie, right?"

Felix nodded. "I know what I said Ron, and I stand by it. Kim may be my friend, but even I know she's got a serious stick up her butt. She's always assumed that you want to go on mission's and take the beating you have. She's too serious, she never seems to just kick back and have fun. Let's face it, you can do better."

"You really think so?" Even though Ron acted confidant, he never had much luck when it came to girls. The only time any girl ever liked him was the brief times when something happened that sky rocketed him to the top of the popularity ladder. Though it never lasted, and as soon as the popularity vanished so did the girl. Even when a girl was interested in him, he always found some way to screw it up. Usually before he even figured out the girl was interested in him, much less when they were going out. His only experience with women was a brief relationship with Zeta, a never was with Yori, and a rebound with Kim.

Felix nodded. "Totally. It's obvious she doesn't care about you if she's willing to cheat on you."

"Well technically Kim didn't cheat on me," said Ron, though he wasn't quite sure why he was even defending Kim at all. "I mean the whole reason she broke up with me, was so she wouldn't be cheating on me when she went out with Mankey."

Felix shook his head. "Dude it doesn't matter. Even if she wasn't going out with him, she was still keeping him a secret from you. That whole 'I broke up with him so I wouldn't hurt him' crap is just to make her feel better. Look at it this way. It's better that she cheats and dumps you now than later, after you're put more into it. Thing's could have been even worse then." Then ten years later when you're married and have a kid or something.

Ron blinked, reflecting on the truth of his friend's words. "I never thought of that. So what should I do now?"

"First of all, I think you need to take a little time away from girls, as in girlfriend," Felix mused, thinking things over.

"What do you mean?" Ron demanded. "Kim dumps me so now I can't date…not that I ever had much luck anyway," he added.

Felix shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant that Kim is probably the biggest celebrity in the school, if not the entire city and state. Almost every teen in the country knew that you two were dating. Not to mention you're the football team's star player, and a shoe-in to make all-state. Believe it or not being on your arm means Middleton High School status, at least for some girls. And now that everyone at school knows that the two of you broke up there are going to be a few girls who will want to date the same guy that Kim Possible dated. Most girls are going to treat you exactly like you did before, but there's also going to be one or two girls who will try to move in for the status."

Ron blinked. He'd been friends with Kim so long it had never even crossed his mind that dating her was something that would give him status. "Meaning that girls with the Bonnie attitude who don't have the high food-chain status are going to use me to try and get it," said Ron, catching on what his friend was saying.

Felix nodded. "Exactly. I don't think you want something like that so I think you need to get your feet under you, emotion speaking that is."

For a moment Ron actually considered the possibility of using his so called status to score himself some dates. He could only imagine what the look on Kim face would be like if she saw him with one of the school resident hotties.

However Ron quickly extinguished those thoughts. He'd tried the whole going out with a hot popular girl thing when he briefly dated Amalia. It didn't work. Their relationship had been based solely on looks, and physical attraction. When they weren't making out they had almost nothing in common. They simply didn't connect…well not emotionally anyway. Ron had a far-off look in his eyes as he replayed the physical intimacy with Amelia inside his head.

Ron sighed. "It figures that the only girls who'd want to date me are the ones that either want to use me, or one's that pity me. I really am loser."

"Hey, that not true," countered Felix. "I mean yes, there are girls out there who will try to use you, and one's who will only go out with you out of pity, but there are also other girl's as well, girl who will like you for you."

"Ok, let's say hypothetically that I do take some down time, that I do get over Kim, and that I do start dating again. Then what? If you haven't noticed my luck with girls isn't all that great." Although he admitted Felix's advice about taking some down time from dating probably a good idea.

"That's what dating is for. To test the water and find out if a girl is right for you. Believe it or not there are girls out there who will like you for you. Girl's who like guys who are funny, kind, and a little weird."

"And just where am I supposed to find this _perfect_ girl?" asked Ron.

Felix shrugged. "Hey if I knew that, do you think I'd still be single?"

Ron and Felix both laughed. How Ron had managed to go so many years without someone like Felix in his life was beyond him.

-----------

While Ron was hanging out with Felix, Kim was also busy at her job at Club Banana.

"Girl you got a lot of explaining to do." Kim turned to see her best female friend, which now meant her best friend, closing in like a hawk on field mouse.

Monique had a hard look on her face, but stopped short when she noticed Kim's red, swollen eyes. Whatever anger she may have been feeling was quickly pushed to the back of her mind and replaced by concern for her friend. "Kim what happened. You look like hell."

"Yeah well that's what happens when you stay up half the night crying into your pillow," replied Kim. Even thought the tears had long since stopped, she could still feel the grief and guilt carving a home into her heart.

That stopped Monique in her tracks. "Whoa, hold up girl. What are you talking about?"

Kim shook her head. She really didn't want to go into detail about everything that had happened over the last few months. She knew that if she did she might end up breaking down like she did last night, and she didn't want to make a scene at work. "Monique it's a looong story, and I really don't feel like talking about it at work."

Monique looked around. The store was completely empty right now, and they hadn't had a customer in over an hour. School night's weren't good business nights for teenage fashion stores so she doubted that anyone was going to come by any time soon. She walked over to the main door, locked it, switched the 'Open' sign to 'Closed', and walked back over to Kim. "Alright girl, if anyone asks we took advantage of the slow night to reorganize the sales floor, so spill. I can tell something's up because you've got that 'I can't believe I did that' look."

"And I can't," said Kim.

"Not nearly enough details, girl," said Monique in a slightly stern voice.

Kim sighed and hung her head. It was obvious that Monique wasn't going to give up until she knew what happened. "Ron and I broke up," she stated.

Monique rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I kinda figured that part out after seeing you hanging on Josh and Ron avoiding you at school today."

Kim shook her head. "It's a bit more serious than that Monique."

Monique raised an eyebrow, wondering what could be more serious the Ron and Kim breaking up. "As in?"

Kim held up two fingers, than lowered one. "As in the dynamic duo of Team Possible, just became the dynamic uno."

That caught Monique off guard. Obviously whatever happened was far more complicated the she thought. "Girl tell me everything; and don't leave out any details."

Kim nodded and began explaining, starting with her early dates with Ron and going all the way to last night. It took her over a half an hour to get through the whole story, and just like Monique asked her, she left out no details. Including the one's she didn't tell her mother.

When Kim fished the two simply sat there in silence. Monique wasn't sure what to think, or what to say. She had come to work today fully prepared to chew Kim out, since she couldn't believe that Kim would be the type of girl to cheat on her boyfriend, especially when said boyfriend was Ron. Still, after hearing what happened, what Kim went through on her dates, she could understand exactly why she broke up with him.

Kim waited with bated breath for her friend's judgment. She didn't really care what the other kids at school said about her, but Monique was different. Monique was her only true friend besides Ron and Wade, and had been like a sister to her ever since they first met. Her opinion mattered to Kim more than anyone's, maybe even more then her parents.

After a few seconds Monique finally spoke. "I think…I think you made the right call."

Kim blinked, wondering if Monique was serious. She had expected Monique to be sympathetic toward her, maybe even offer her some comforting words like her mother had, but she never expected her; or anyone for that matter, to actually agree with what she did. "Really?"

Monique nodded. "It sounds to me like Ron was causing you pain long before you caused him pain. He pretty much ignored you and your feelings and made you feel unwanted. He wasn't meeting you're emotional needs and you wanted a guy who could. If that boy hadn't been sending you mixed signal's you would have either been single; and been able to have a guilt free relationship with another guy, or you wouldn't have needed to look for another guy at all, because you were already getting the attention you needed."

Though Ron was one of her best male friend's Monique knew just how unobservant he could be when it came to others thoughts and feelings. He tended to take others for granted and had a general lack of maturity when it came to social outings. If a boy she dated acted like that, she would have dumped him faster than an out of style pair of pants.

Kim blinked, absorbing everything that Monique said. "I never thought about it like that before. You really think I did the right thing?"

Monique bit her lip. Even though she understood _why _Kim did what she did, that didn't mean she approved of _how _she did it. "I wouldn't go that far. I mean you were technically with Ron when you started messing around with Josh, and you should definitely feel bad about that."

"Trust me I do." Feeling bad didn't even begin to describe the pain and unending guilt that Kim felt.

"The real question is what are you going to do about it?" asked Monique.

Kim took a deep breath before quietly replying. "Nothing."

Monique was surprised by that. Of all the things Kim could have said, that was the one she least expected. Kim was an aggressor, and had more fight and determination in her then anyone Monique had ever met. To see her simply give up without a fight seemed wrong. "That sure doesn't sound like the Kim Possible I know."

Kim nodded. The whole idea of sitting back and doing nothing seemed just as wrong to her as in did to Monique. "I know, but I've already screwed things up pretty badly with Ron as it is. I'm afraid that if I try to make things better I'm just going to make them worse."

Monique was stunned by the confession. She couldn't remember Kim ever admitting she was scared of something. _'Man this thing with Ron must have hit her a lot harder than I thought.'_

"Well if you even need anything you just let me know ok. I'm here for ya girl."

Monique felt a bit guilt for choosing to side with Kim over Ron, Ron was her friend to after all, and she was the one who had told Kim 'Stand by your Ron', but it was obvious that this break-up was hitting Kim just as hard as it was Ron, maybe even worse. Kim needed her right now, far more then Ron probably did, and she wasn't about to abandon her best friend in her hour of need. Besides Ron already had Felix at his side, and she was sure the boy could do more for Ron then she ever could.

Kim smiled. "Thanks Monique." It was nice to know that even though she had lost Ron she still had other friends who would stick by her, and right now Kim couldn't think of a better friend than Monique.

---------

After what to Ron felt like the longest work shift in the history of the world, he arrived home just as the clock was reaching 1 a.m. The day had been every bit as draining as he thought it would be.

He stumbled into his room with barely enough energy to dump his work cloths in his laundry basket. As he did a note letter fell out of his pocket. He had found in his locker during school and he could tell by the handwriting it was from Kim. He hadn't wanted to read it during school knowing that it would probably upset him even more, and that Bonnie would have a field day with it. Now however, he was finally alone in his room, and as ready as he could be to deal with whatever she had to say.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the envelope and pulled out a couple of tear-stained pages.

_Ron, before I write anything more I have to say that you weren't weak last night, you were smart. If you had called me, or come over and spoke to me in person, I would have gone into hysterics. That wouldn't have been good for either of us__**. **_

_Actually, I did go into hysterics last night. When you didn't answer your phone I was ready to run over to your house but my mom intercepted me on the way to the front door. She chased my dad and the tweebs out of the house and forced me to tell her everything. It's a good thing she's a brain surgeon because she had a real mess on her hands. I think I started at the middle and worked my way to the beginning, by detouring to the end. After I told her everything, she and I had a long talk. While it wasn't a pleasant talk, it's one that I'm glad I had. Now, I'm able to answer the message you sent me._

_I have to say, before anything else, how sorry I am that things have turned out the way that they have. I know that I've said this before but it's the truth. No amount of talking or writing will make it any easier so I can only hope that you understand that I am sorry, so very sorry. Yet, as sorry as I am about how things turned out, I have to beg and plead for your forgiveness for the way I handled the entire sitch._

_After talking to mom, I realized how horribly I handled everything. When I first started seeing Josh, I should have told you. When I realized that I wasn't satisfied with our relationship, I should have told you. When I started to develop feelings for Josh, I should have told you. When I made my choice, I should have told you everything. Instead, I kept everything away from you, didn't give you a chance to deal with it until it was too late. That was terribly unfair to you and I hope that someday, somehow, you can forgive me for it. _

_What I'm about to do is the second hardest thing I've ever done in my life. You asked me to tell you where you went wrong, so I will. I hope that you don't take this wrong, I hope that you'll accept that these are honest statements. After all, someday some girl is going to get a clue and realize what you really are. At that point, maybe if you understand where things went wrong between the two of us, you'll be better equipped to handle the relationship. _

_Ron, you just didn't seem to evolve and grow. I'm not going to sugar coat this; you asked for honesty so that is what I'm going to provide. Our dates seemed to be in such a rut, we would go to some fast food restaurant where you would gorge yourself like a barbarian then spend forever trying to win something for me in those rigged, claw games. When we went to a nice place, you still acted the same way. You never dressed up, and you never acted like a gentleman. I know your heart was in the right place, and I think that's part of why I didn't say anything. But the truth is you never seemed to put in any effort to make me feel special, and I often felt unwanted__, sometimes even unattractive. _

_Josh did those things and it was so overwhelming that I didn't know what to do. I didn't know that I wanted to be treated special until Josh started to treat me special. That's when I made my big mistake, I didn't tell you that I wasn't satisfied with our relationship. If I had had been honesty and told you that, right then and there, we could have worked through it, or come to the mutual conclusion that we were better off as friends. Instead, I continued to let Josh pursue me, flattered that he was doing so. The result was that I played you. I didn't mean to, but I did. I didn't tell you that I was seeing someone else until I had decided that I wanted him to be my boyfriend and I knew that he wanted me to be his girlfriend. This was horribly unfair to you._

_Of course, you hardly need me telling you that I treated you wrong. I can only hope that you can accept that I did this out of inexperience and confusion, rather than out of cruelty. I know that it must be cold comfort since the results were the same, but I hope that it makes it just a little easier for you. Ron, I'm so very, very sorry about the way I treated you with this sitch._

_I'm writing the rest of this, assuming that you haven't already torn up this letter. After I listened to your message last night, I went into a panic. I realized that as much as I felt you had taken me for granted as a girlfriend, I had taken you even more for granted as a best friend. I thought I could set you aside as a boyfriend and still have you as my best friend. Finding out that I couldn't was like a slap in the face. Mom says that you know you're growing up when the lessons really hurt. What's so incredibly unfair is that I'm getting the lesson while you're putting up with the lion's share of the heartbreak. _

_I said earlier that telling you where we went wrong was the second most difficult thing I had ever written. The following lines are the hardest. When we returned from the last mission, you said you wanted time. Now, you've told me that you want distance and that you don't want anything to do with me. I'm going to give you both. I know you might not believe me, but I'm going to miss you terribly while you come to terms with the way I've wronged you. It's going to be hard for me, knowing that you're suffering because of me. It's going to be harder, knowing that I can't help you, because simply being close to you will only make you suffer more. My only choice is to give you the time and space you need and hope that you'll be able to put what I did behind you enough for us to be friends again. _

_That brings up my last item, something that you asked of me that I cannot do for you, and that's to just let you go. Ron, even though you say that we aren't friends anymore, I still consider you my best friend, and the best friend I'll ever have. Take as much time as you need, but when you've dealt with what I did to you enough to talk to me again, I'll be waiting. I don't care if it's tomorrow, next week, or next month, but when you're ready to talk, cry, or yell at me, you just call me and I'll drop anything and everything for you._

_I can't bring myself to say goodbye. Ron, I know that I've damaged our friendship and that we'll never be the same. My only hope is that we'll be able to salvage something. I truly can't save the world without you. I know that I've said that I can do anything, but that's not the whole truth. I can do anything, as long as Ron Stoppable has my back._

_Farewell for now,_

_Kim.'_

Ron felt guilty when he read about how Kim had gone into hysterics. He took absolutely no pleasure in knowing that he had hurt her. He knew it would happen though. Even when he made the message he knew it would hurt Kim deeply. He briefly wondered if that was what Kim felt like when she decided to dump him. Either way he was grateful that Miss. P had stopped her. God only knew what Kim would have done to him if she'd come over. Not that he would have answered the door. Not that it would have stopped her either.

The part about how he disappointed her as a boyfriend stung the most. Still he'd asked Kim to be honest and was glad that she had been. In all honesty he'd though he'd done a good job of being a boyfriend. Kim never seemed to mind his gorging before, and she had always said that she didn't care about how he looked, and that she didn't like to be treated special. Apparently either that was a lie, or he had misinterpreted her words. His money was on the second option. He always did get things wrong. But why couldn't she have just told him he was doing a lousy job? He'd have done whatever it took to make her happy. Candy, flowers, jewelry, hell he'd would have had Wade arrange dinner in Paris if that was what she wanted. But it was too late for that now. It was too late for a lot of things.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the ending of the letter, and Kim's desire to still be friends. He wouldn't deny that despite the pain Kim had caused him, there was still a large part of him that yearned to have her in his life, even if was only as friends, but he simply couldn't. Not right now anyway. Maybe not ever again.

Rather than destroy the letter, Ron decided to keep it, and put it in his nightstand. Maybe he did it as a final testament to the long friendship he'd had with Kim. Maybe he did it so that when he did get another girlfriend, in whatever far off decade that was, he would have some idea on how a proper boyfriend should act. Maybe he did it as way to remember that even though he'd closed the door on his friendship with Kim, there was still a window open.

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**This chapter actually turned out better and long than I thought it would. Plus I managed to get it out relatively fast compared to my usual speed. I'm hoping to get the next chapter done quickly as well.  
**

**The main point of this chapter was to establish a sort of new status quo in terms of friends for Ron and Kim. Kim has Monique and Josh to rely on, while Ron now has Felix and Tara. **

**For the conversations I did my best to come at it from both a male perspective and a female perspective. Though I'm not sure how well I managed to pull that off. Oh well. **

**Big thanks to daccu65 for helping with some of the conversation, and for writing the letter. **

**Until next chapter please Read and Review. Remember I am always open to and even encourage to all questions, comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism.  
**


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